With the creation of a unique dining experience central to the success of Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace, our expertise in delivering high quality fit-outs and bespoke joinery was key to our relationship with the upmarket food court owner. As their chosen contractor, we navigated the confines of tight access and Covid-19 restrictions to create a standout venue that showcases artisan Scottish produce within Edinburgh’s St James Quarter shopping centre.
Overview
Bonnie & Wild’s vision for its food court in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter retail and leisure complex was to create an outstanding social dining experience unlike any other.
With the creation of a unique dining experience central to the success of Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace, our expertise in delivering high quality fit-outs and bespoke joinery was key to our relationship with the upmarket food court owner. As their chosen contractor, we navigated the confines of tight access and Covid-19 restrictions to create a standout venue that showcases artisan Scottish produce within Edinburgh’s St James Quarter shopping centre.
Overview
Bonnie & Wild’s vision for its food court in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter retail and leisure complex was to create an outstanding social dining experience unlike any other.
Their goal was a premium food hall hosting Scotland’s best independent food and drinks businesses, offering everything from coffee, croissants and lunches to fine dining, craft beer and cocktails, with live events and cooking shows adding further unique elements to the venue.
Having expertise in food and beverage venue delivery, we successfully tendered for the full fit-out of an empty developer’s shell at the shopping centre that would realise this vision.
With the company’s priority being quality designs and joinery delivered at a competitive price, we demonstrated our ability to work creatively, efficiently and cost-effectively to achieve this.
Meanwhile, our flexible approach to the challenge of delivering the project during a pandemic, along with various logistical challenges, ensured high client satisfaction, a great customer experience and a best-in-class drinking and dining venue.
Our Work
We created a food hall in the fourth-floor galleria of the St James Quarter complex which comprises units for more than a dozen independent Scottish food and drinks producers, along with a mix of lively, open spaces and intimate dining areas.
Prioritising creative delivery, we collaborated with the project’s architect to value engineer their designs, while our in-house teams produced manufacturing drawings to transform the developer’s shell into a premium venue.
Our bespoke joinery skills were employed to build counters and wine displays to showcase the specialist produce on offer and complement the mix of high-end minimalist dining spaces and luxurious lounge areas.
When Covid-19 restrictions added complications during our 18 weeks on-site, we devised solutions to minimise disruption. Our site manager was present throughout the project to implement a Covid strategy devised to minimise risk, while operatives were grouped in small teams to ensure there was no crossover of personnel.
Other challenges, including the physical transportation of large materials from a delivery bay in an underpass up four flights of stairs, allowed us to demonstrate our adaptability. We navigated these to deliver a premium quality food hall that offers a truly original customer experience in good time for the shopping centre’s opening on 24 June 2021.
How We Added Value
- Cost-effective solutions – high quality fit-out delivered at a competitive price
- Flexibility – project completed around tight access and Covid-19 restrictions
- Design buildability – architect’s designs expertly engineered and manufacturing drawings developed
- Top-quality joinery – bespoke joinery created in-house for a premium dining experience
