The boss of Norwich's Castle Quarter said the pop-up Mysabar was a 'real success story' after tickets sold out for three weeks.
The success of the Scandinavian-themed outdoor restaurant comes as a welcome boost to footfall figures to Castle Quarter which is around 25pc down on last year.
Robert Bradley, Castle Quarter’s centre manager, said: "We believe this is positive given the current climate. New occupants have also taken space at Castle Quarter, with Boom Battle Bar, the CBD (cannabis oil) store and a new Shopmobility centre all opening in recent months. And there will be more new projects to talk about in the coming weeks, so it has been a busy time. But Mysabar, the pop-up winter beer garden which launched in Castle Quarter’s upper gardens in early December, has been a real success story this month. Tickets have sold out for the past three weeks, and it has been warmly welcomed by people during these unusual times." The Mysabar is a collaboration between Dan and Katie Searle, landlords of The Rumsey Wells pub, and Seth Maclot and Chris Howard, who own local company Lunar Stretch Tents. It offers food and drink from local vendors with candles, blankets and outdoor heating.
Meanwhile at Norwich's other shopping centre, Chantry Place, a spokeswoman said they'd seen 196,000 people come through the doors last week. “With the Christmas shopping period being so vital for retailers, it has been a relief that shops and restaurants in Norfolk have been able to reopen at their busiest time of year. We’ve definitely seen a resurgence in visitors since reopening after lockdown two. Obviously footfall is down on this time last year, but all our retailers have reopened at the centre. Feedback from visitors is that they want to support our retailers and overall everyone has been compliant and patient when visiting. We are consistently monitoring footfall and managing capacity at the entrances to the centre to keep our visitors safe, and generally there is a steady flow of visitors. Safety measures include a staggered entry system and limiting the number of customers in the centre."
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