A Black Country restauranteur is following his lifelong dream by bringing fine dining to Wolverhampton with a new "destination dining venue".
Paul Burgwin, former owner of The Greyhound in Lower Penn, has invested more than £350,000 into the redevelopment of the York Hotel on the Tettenhall Road, with the showpiece feature being the 42-seater contemporary restaurant.
And the trained chef said he is hoping to give Wolverhampton city centre a much-needed high quality location to rival anything that Birmingham and Manchester can offer.
"A city of Wolverhampton's size has been crying out for this type of restaurant for too long and we have some really exciting plans to put The York on the map, including modern style furnishings and the 'Wagyu Kobe beef' signature dish - one of the few venues in the West Midlands to offer this," said Mr Burgwin.
"We've employed an award winning chef to help create a menu that fuses a range of international flavours and an interior designer to add deep leather booths and a truly amazing gothic ceiling that creates a unique atmosphere."
The restaurant - which will have a grand opening tomorrow - will see about 15 jobs created in Wolverhampton, and is located just a mile outside the city centre.
It is committed to sourcing as many of its products from the Midlands as possible, with ingredients, vegetables and meat coming in from from Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The £350,000 investment drive has also been channelled into the refurbishment of the entire hotel, which has seen all 15 ensuite bedrooms completely redecorated and fitted with high-speed internet access and some with LCD TV screens.
A new courtyard area has also been created to provide al fresco dining in the summer, whilst the refurbished car park now benefits from 30 free parking spaces.
Mr Burgwin said: "It is our fifth birthday in charge of the hotel, and what better way to celebrate than by launching the next era of this traditional venue?
"Our occupancy rates in the week are virtually 100 per cent and we are getting regular guests at the weekend, who use us as a base to visit the many tourist attractions of Birmingham and the Black Country."
