TV chef Simon Rimmer has announced plans are underway to open a second Greens restaurant in Trafford in the next few months.
The popular vegetarian restaurant has been a staple in West Didsbury since 1990, and is now expanding for the first time with a new site in Sale.
The restaurant will be situated within the Mall in Stanley Square, with building work set to begin as early as next week.
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Simon, who launched the restaurant alongside Simon Connolly, says the new Greens will consist of a 60-cover restaurant, alongside a 60-cover bar - something which is completely new for the brand.
Simon told the M.E.N: “The plans for Greens in Sale have been going on for quite a while now.
“We decided we wanted this since last summer but, with the way the world is, nothing is fast and we didn’t want to reveal anything until we were ready.
“It’s going to be similar to what people expect in East Didsbury but with a little bit more - we’re going to have a 60-cover restaurant and a 60-cover bar with space outside.
“I’ve always wanted to have a really nice bar for Greens, we want it to be a place where you can go for drinks - you don’t have to just go there for food.
“We’re looking to utilise every bit of the building and we’re hoping we might even get a roof terrace in there - it’s really exciting."
As the name will suggest, Greens is a vegetarian eatery with a menu featuring everything from truffled mushroom wellington to a staple red lentil and walnut roast.
Simon said that now is the perfect time for Greens to expand - and believes Sale is the perfect destination to do so.
“It really is a great time for us to do this,” Simon explains.
“The rise in veggie and plant-based diets is massive at the moment and we’ve been doing that for 31 years now - we know what we’re doing.
“I would never have imagined we’d have opened Greens in Sale two years ago. It’s got a great mix of people but it’s never really had much of a night-time economy.
“But that whole area has been curated really well, there’s a whole host of independent businesses and it’s got a lovely vibe to it.
“That development is incredible. Everybody has something to say and it’s a really exciting time for the area.
“Now, if we weren’t already planning to be in Sale, I’d be asking why not.”
The new restaurant is being designed by Mark Mason Design, the Manchester-based consultancy behind the design of El Gato Negro.
Simon promises the design has been created to fit in with the ethos of Greens.
He explains: “We want to let it grow slightly organic, we want to upcycle plenty of stuff and utilise what’s already there in the building as best as we can.
“Mark knows what our ethos is and has made sure the design is what we want it to be while also making sure we’re utilising things.
“It’s been created so that we’re ticking as many boxes as we can based on what we believe in and what we stand for.
“All of our cooking areas are going to be fully-electric. We want to make use of the way that the world is going.”
And, if all goes to plan, Simon hopes the new Greens will be open as early as May.
“This is the first time we’ve expanded Greens, so we want to get it right,” he adds.
“We’ve made the decision where we want to enjoy the journey. We are aiming for May but if it’s June then so be it.
“The most important thing is getting it right.”
