Gusto Italian, the premium casual dining group, has announced an investment of £250k to refurbish its Edinburgh site this summer, transforming both the interior and exterior of the restaurant.
The George Street location, which originally opened in 2007, will be closed between 11 July and 2 August, reopening just in time for the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
The renovation is set to fortify Gusto Italian’s status as a pillar of the Edinburgh casual dining scene, reopening with a total 187 covers, including a 60-seat upstairs mezzanine and a 12-person semi-private dining room, both of which will be available for private hire.
The refurbished restaurant and bar will no doubt be a huge hit with both existing Gusto Italian customers and new guests alike, with the premium casual dining group introducing new concepts into the Edinburgh site including the Pizza Experience and the Theatre Kitchen which will help to deliver an immersive and unique dining experience that have proven highly popular at new restaurants and other refurbished locations.
The Theatre Kitchen unites the kitchen and dining area to create a truly open kitchen, giving guests the opportunity to witness Gusto Italian’s skilled chefs first-hand, while the Pizza Experience, unique to Gusto Italian, provides two and a half hours of feasting and entertainment at the Chef’s Table.
Along with a striking interior and exterior redesign, Gusto Italian Edinburgh will also reopen with an extended offering, serving both brunch and bottomless brunch across the weekend with dishes ranging from classic full breakfasts to smashed avocado on toast, served alongside fizz or signature Gusto Italian brunch cocktails including the Breakfast Pornstar Martini and Bloody Mary.
CEO Matt Snell said, “The Edinburgh restaurant has always been one of our best-performing sites, and we’re very pleased we can revitalise this venue and introduce new design elements and dining experiences that we’ve been phasing in across our estate, resulting in industry-leading Net Promoter Scores.
'We’re proud of the fact that our £2m CAPEX programme is self-funded, and we’re hoping to be able to add to our estate and continue refreshing existing sites in the near future.”
The Edinburgh refurbishment is the latest in a series of investments from Gusto Italian’s self-funded, £2m CAPEX programme, having opened its flagship site in Nottingham, in December 2021, and refurbished restaurants in Cookridge in Leeds, and Liverpool.
Founded in Cheshire in 2005, Gusto Italian has almost 600 employees across 13 restaurants.