Coventry's first ever permanent 'indoor street food' venue set to open its doors at FarGo Village - The Coventry Observer

Coventry's first ever permanent 'indoor street food' venue set to open its doors at FarGo Village

Coventry Editorial 28th May, 2021 Updated: 4th Jun, 2021   0

COVENTRY’S first ever permanent ‘indoor street food venue’ is set to open its doors.

‘Factory’ at FarGo Village in the city’s Creative Quarter – boasting craft beer and fabulous cocktails, as well as the food, will be home to five permanent street food specialists, providing high-quality food and drink from brunch until dinner.

Stripclub Streetfood will be tempt customers with its tasty burgers, The Paneer Wrap Street Food Company will be tantalising vegetarians and vegans with its traditional Indian spices, The Grub Shed is renowned for its ‘dirty loaded’ fries, Dough and Flow will be creating fresh Neapolitan pizzas and Get Us Baked, run by The Brownie Box by Emily which is already based at FarGo Village, will serve brunch, coffees and cakes from the bar.




The £360,000 renovation work has been funded – in part – by the Cultural Capital Investment Fund, which includes an allocation from the Getting Building Fund from the Government via the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) and Arts Council England funding.

Three units have been refurbished into an open-plan dining area with an industrial ambiance to reflect its history as a car radiator factory for Coventry Motor Fittings for 60 years.


The new roof terrace will seat 70 diners, the mezzanine a further 70 and an inside dining area will also have seating for 70 when it initially opens due to Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing. This will rise to a total of 300 when the Government’s road map is due to change on June 21.

Graeme Ellis, who previously worked for Amadeus Food at the NEC in Birmingham, will oversee operations as Food and Beverages Manager.

Between 15 and 20 new staff will be employed to work across Factory.

The Box, FarGo Village’s on-site creative arts venue, also due to reopen with a programme of live music, theatre and family friendly entertainment when restrictions ease.

At the official opening next Friday, June 4, customers will be entertained by a range of music and there will be craft beer from Purity and Twisted Barrel Ale, along with a new range of cocktails including “The Goose Ford” and “The Hand and Heart”.

The very popular Project D will also be making an appearance in FarGo Village for the launch of Factory, trading on Friday, June 4, from 6pm to 10pm, and Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6 from 12pm to 6pm.

In addition, London-based Green Rooms Market will visit Coventry for the first time, transforming the Market Hall into a jungle-like plant market for the weekend.

 

All this alongside FarGo’s existing food and drink businesses which include BIB Noodle specialising in hand-pulled noodles, Leave It To Esmie’s vibrant Caribbean cuisine, Dirty Kitch, one of Coventry’s best exclusively vegan eateries, and Choc ‘n’ Roll/Gourmet Food Kitchen, the #1 Bakery/Restaurant in Coventry.

Elyse Cadden, The Box Venue Manager of FarGo Village, said the work was nearly complete and she was counting down the days until Factory opens.

“Everyone connected with this project is really looking forward to seeing the final results at our official opening on June 4.

“We will be providing a must-visit dining experience with independent street food, music, craft beer and cocktails, which is an element that has been missing from the city.

“To be opening on the same day as Coventry Moves – the signature event to mark the start of Coventry’s 12 months as UK City of Culture – makes it extra special.

“We have signed up five fantastic street food companies for semi-permanent residencies – we will be inviting new operators in at regular intervals to keep the vibe fresh and new.”

Helen Peters, board director and chair of the CWLEP’s culture and tourism business group, said the opening of Factory was particularly timely with the easing of Government restrictions later in June.

“I’m sure Factory will entice a whole range of customers from people living in Coventry and Warwickshire to visitors attending events during UK City of Culture.

“The Getting Building Fund was set up to support the recovery of the economy in the UK post-Covid with projects that could get up-and-running quickly and this is a perfect example.

“At the CWLEP we have been working on our Strategic Reset Framework and one of our aims is to reimagine our city and town centres through bold approaches to enterprise. This kind of innovative dining experience is just the kind of venue that supports our key hospitality, tourism, culture, heritage and retails sectors.”

Coun Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, at the Council, said: “We’ve only just begun our year as UK City of Culture and the fact that small businesses are gearing up to operate at the refurbished FarGo Village is fantastic news.

“We are already witnessing vast improvements we have made in the city centre and elsewhere, where we have secured investment and grants to improve locations like Factory at FarGo Village, and this is creating a new-look to a venue while retaining features of its engineering past.”

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