Nathan Fearn discovers why Mickleover's new bar and restaurant is proving such a hit in the community
Since opening its doors to the public on January 22, Binary, Mickleover’s new bar and restaurant, has certainly created something of an impression.
Situated on Limes Avenue on the site of a former derelict piece of land, the contemporary offering adds to Bespoke Inns’ existing renowned venues in Derbyshire; namely The Dragon, in Willington; Harpur’s, of Melbourne; and The Boot, in Repton.
And despite delays in getting to the grand open from external factors such as Covid it has certainly, suggests Claire Blincoe, marketing manager at Bespoke Inns, been worth the wait.
‘It’s been incredible,’ says Claire. ‘The place is the reason for it, it’s just beautiful and the design is fantastic. People have been wowed by the setting in these early weeks and months and long may that continue – they're coming in and, importantly, they’re coming back.’
Part of Binary’s early appeal is its uniqueness and appeal as a fresh, vibrant and modern venue, a vision that has come to fruition through a great deal of planning and hard work.
‘We were made aware of the opportunity to have the unit as far back as three or four years ago,’ says Emily Nash, group operations director at Bespoke Inns.
‘We used interior designers in IMD and they’ve been a real asset. The building is very modern, we knew it had to be different from our other sites which were all country ‘pub-esque’.
‘The plan was to go high end and create a real wow factor, something that would be embraced by both Mickeover and the wider community of Derby. The response from the public has been wholly affirming.’
A big part of Binary’s early success has been the engagement with, and involvement of, the local community of Mickleover, to such an extent that locals were even offered the chance to choose the venue’s striking name.
‘We always engage in our communities across all our sites; being a part of the community is a fundamental part of our business and how we operate,’ reveals Emily.
‘We wanted to create a buzz around the project from an early stage so we ran a naming competition and the response we got was phenomenal.’
‘One of the shortlisted names was Binary and we thought that was quite interesting,’ continues Claire.
‘Apparently, the first time Mickleover was mentioned in historical accounts was the year 1011. Also, the restaurant has two floors, and each has two separate areas and we thought – ‘hang on, we’ve got something going here’ – it was the winner by far.’
The engagement with the local community also extends past the name and, suggests Emily, is integral and wide-ranging.
‘We’ve been phenomenally well supported by our communities in each of our locations and love to get involved in local events,’ says Emily.
‘We’re talking with the parish council in Mickleover about how we get involved with their events every year too so we can be integrated into the community and to ensure we are an intrinsic part of that community.
‘We’ve also launched Social Sundays at the Binary which involves live music and a discount on our drinks in the bar area and host tapas evenings across all our venues to showcase different cuisines and the expertise of our chefs.’
With the lockdowns of the past two years, the hospitality venues so adversely affected by the pandemic across Derbyshire and, indeed, the country, have welcomed back customers with open arms.
It is, however, a landscape that Claire believes has changed.
‘I think people’s expectations are now higher, they really want a great experience,’ she argues.
‘We’re always striving to offer that fantastic service, ambiance and fantastic food that allow people to come to us and enjoy something special.
Of course the climate has been difficult, but we're fully committed - we have invested over £1m developing Binary and created over 30 jobs for the local area.'
‘We wanted to have a really broad appeal,’ adds Emily. ‘People want things that are a bit different but we also have a good mix of contemporary classics menu-wise, such as fish and chips and burgers, to add balance to the menu.
‘We’ve got a really talented head chef who is full of ideas and we’ve had some incredible minds working on our cocktails list as well. We like to make everything very visual for customers, from the building to the food – something for them to remember.’
Whilst Binary is proving to be a success in its own right, Claire has no doubt that the trust and reputation earned through Bespoke Inn’s well-established sites has certainly enhanced its appeal.
‘I think it’s our heritage that has helped us build it,’ she comments.
‘We wanted it to be a different offering, the building dictates that anyway, but we knew that if we delivered what we’ve delivered at our other venues across Derbyshire over the past 12 to 15 years we would succeed.
‘Whilst Binary is a very different venue in terms of how it looks, the ethos is the same.’
Willington, Melbourne, Repton and now Mickleover begs the question – will four venues one day become five?
‘Never say never,’ concludes Emily with a smile. ‘Who knows what is round the corner.’
