Lawyers have a lot on their plate!

Commercial property experts at Birkett Long LLP have just helped the largest restaurant in the UK open its doors to hungry diners.

With an amazing 1,000 covers, Za Za Bazaar estimates it will serve over 2,000 people every day.  A downstairs bar seats 300 and there is an upstairs restaurant where 700 diners can enjoy the ‘oriental night market’ style experience.  Guests are welcomed not only with a menu but also a map just in case they get lost in the huge harbour-side location which opened in Bristol on 1 December.  This is the first of what will be a chain of super-restaurants across the country, the next of which is soon to open in Norwich.

The team at Essex based Birkett Long was led by commercial property expert, David Rayner, who has wide experience of the retail and leisure sectors.  The complex legal deal drew on skills from others within the firm, particularly Ron Rosenthal whose area of specialty is licensing law.  There were lease complications from the outset and the Bristol Police raised objections to outside licenses in an area that already has a high density of eateries and bars.  Mr Rayner and his team dealt with the issues quickly, facilitating a successful conclusion to the deal so that the necessary structural alterations and fitting-out could begin.  Za Za Bazaar opened its doors on time, just eight months after Birkett Long had received initial instructions from the client.

The buffet style restaurant serves up a vast array of dishes from around the world.  Diners can work their way from bangers and mash to sushi, with Indian, Tex Mex and Oriental cuisine to tickle their taste buds on the journey.  As much about the experience as the food, Za Za Bazaar is undoubted value with set price ‘all you can eat’ menus, half price deals for children and free meals for under 5s. 

The idea for the super-restaurant was born after a deal to acquire a nationwide chain of restaurants proved unattractive.  A spokesman for the restaurant said “This project was a complicated one with a great number of legal issues and complexities.  David and his team were responsive and understood the issues.  They took the pressure off to an extent that allowed our team to focus on the restaurant itself.”

With 8,000 plates to be washed up every day, a lorry load of vegetables to be prepared and a 400 sq ft fridge to be stocked, it is no surprise that up to 100 staff will be on duty at any one time.  The Bristol eatery has created many new jobs and the site in Norwich will bring employment opportunities to the city.  The owners are currently looking for other UK sites with good footfall and locations where there are high populations of students and young families.  They plan to open eight ‘super restaurants’ in the near future, with more to follow.

Mr Rayner will once again be heading up the legal team as Za Za Bazaar prepares to open in Norwich.  Contracts have been exchanged and the process of obtaining licences and satisfying licensing requirements is underway.  The site on the Riverside Leisure Park is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2012.

Mr Rayner commented: “It is always exciting to be in at the start of a new venture and when it is a major new concept like Za Za Bazaar, doubly so.  Having led retail and leisure sector groups as well as commercial property teams, I and my team at Birkett Long had all the necessary skill sets to drive a complex transaction through to a successful completion.   We are looking forward to being part of the team that delivers more restaurants offering world cuisine to the UK.”