Japanese restaurant Shogun Teppanyaki has agreed a move to The Cube – as part of plans to make the city centre building Birmingham’s home of “theatrical” eating.
Shogun will invest £500,000 in the move out of its current site at the Mailbox to a prime spot at the Ken Shuttleworth-designed building nearby.
The move to the 3,000 sq ft plot will create 20 new jobs and fill a prominent part of The Cube at entrance level.
Neil Edginton, director of The Cube, said the letting was part of plans to engender a reputation that The Cube, sat between Brindleyplace and The Mailbox, is an entertaining place to eat in the city.
He said; “Shogun is a huge thing for the Cube because it is very visual on the main walkway – there is probably a glass frontage of about 70 metres that people will walk by.
“We targeted Shogun, and we have got others targeted, because you have got Rodizio Rico – which is quite a theatrical restaurant – there already and Shogun is also quite theatrical. They are carving meat at your table at Rodizio Rico and throwing eggs around at Shogun.
“Instead of just walking past restaurants you are walking past a show.”
He added: “This is exactly the same as everything we are doing – we don’t want to create a homogenous place that the city already has – we want to make it different, so people have a special experience when they come here.
“We want people from around the city to come to the Cube but there are also offices and apartments. We are creating a community for the people who live and work here, and show you don’t have to leave the building.”
Work started on the new sushi and noodle bar earlier this week and it is expected to open in September, and will have a capacity of 100 covers.
The move will see the number of people employed by the Japanese restaurant brand in the city grow from 15 to 35.
Felma Resuello, director of Shogun Teppanyaki, said it was a new era for the firm.
She said: “Our new restaurant will replicate the look and feel of our noodle bar in the Mailbox which our customers have come to love, but now we will be able to cater for a much larger audience, increasing capacity to 100 covers. The Cube is the place to spend an evening, with restaurants, bars and even a hotel .
“Our staff and loyal customer base have high hopes for the venue and cannot wait to get in through the door.”
The letting is a boost to The Cube, which is rebuilding after developer Birmingham Development Company collapsed.
Mr Edginton said he expects to let the two remaining sites on the entrance floor in the next month.
He said: “We are working on the business plan to make this building what it should be – a real jewel.
“We spent the first quarter of the year doing a lot of strategic planning, and looking at who we are going to target, and over the next quarter we will see that work coming to fruition.”
The work at The Cube comes weeks after the Post exclusively revealed £50 million plans to boost the Mailbox nearby.
A new roof and larger public areas are among the plans for the Mailbox, which will create 500 new jobs and will see the development’s flagship Harvey Nichols store double in size.
Mr Edgington said he hoped the two developments would help each other to succeed.
He said: “We want the Mailbox to be successful – it changes the whole area and their plans are amazing. There is a big opportunity for us.
“The other side is what we are doing here is a big opportunity for them. We work closely to make sure we are not competing with each other.”
