Oxford's Mitre Hotel reopens as Gusto Italian
Gusto Italian open a restaurant in Oxford this week.
The restaurant chain invested £1.8 million to transform the historic Mitre Hotel building on Oxford High Street.
The 10,000 square foot restaurant and bar will offer casual dining to 150 covers on the ground floor property and a 60-cover function room on the first floor.
The Oxford site opening represents a significant step in Gusto Italian’s two-year growth strategy, as the company expand its footprint and make substantial upgrades to its core estate as part of a self-funded £2m CAPEX programme.
Founded in Cheshire in 2005, Gusto Italian has almost 600 employees in 14 restaurants.
The Theatre Kitchen in Oxford unites the kitchen and dining area to create a truly open kitchen, giving guests the opportunity to witness Gusto Italian’s skilled chefs.
A restored Mitre Hotel is visually stunning, offering both iconic design and striking period features, preserved in the grade II listed building. The preservation of this renowned building has been paramount to Gusto Italian, who worked closely with historic contractors and local specialists throughout the redevelopment.
Matt Snell, CEO of Gusto Italian, said: “I’m over the moon to be opening this amazing restaurant. It has been a labour of love, and from the outset, we have taken our responsibility as custodians of this historic building seriously. We placed significant weight on preserving the listed features, while introducing design elements that have made Gusto Italian so popular.
"The result, however has exceeded my expectations. This stunning building combines tradition and modernity, testament to the incredible work that the design, construction and restoration teams have invested in this project. I’m very excited for the people of Oxford to visit the new restaurant and I hope Gusto Italian will be the go-to venue for special occasions in the city for years to come.”
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Fresh from winning the Italian Restaurant Award at the PAPA Industry awards, forecast for further growth looks bright as recent customer feedback data illustrates the Gusto Italian model is hugely popular with consumers. Scores have reached record levels, the first-class experience reflected in an average Net Promoter Score in the high 80s, compared to an industry average of 55, and an average amongst the other leading casual dining operators in the high 60s.
In addition to investing in its restaurants, Gusto Italian has also been investing in the people who work there. In April, the company announced a new partnership with PayCaptain, which strengthened its employee proposition and pushed financial awareness and wellbeing up the agenda for its people, while it has also launched an apprenticeship scheme, which will enable Junior Managers to achieve a degree-level qualification, bridging the skills gap and improving pathways for progression within the business.
Founded in Cheshire in 2005, Gusto Italian has almost 600 employees, known as family members, across 14 restaurants.
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