One of Southport’s oldest and most popular restaurants is getting a new lease of life – as the town’s first ever pottery, painting and pizza parlour. Andrew Brown reports
One of Southport’s oldest and most popular restaurants is to be transformed in Southport town centre into a pottery, painting and pizza parlour.
Clay & Crust will be located at the former Fuego’s Mexican restaurant in Stanley Street. It will be open seven days a week, offering families and people of all ages the opportunity to call in and paint pottery while enjoying something to eat or drink.
It will also be offering pottery parties, dropping pottery off at people’s homes where children (or adults) can paint away before taking them back into the venue to be fired and completed.
Joe Bolger is the entrepreneur behind Clay & Crust. He has a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry at venues across the North West including in Manchester and the Lake District.
He was born in Southport and is delighted to be bringing something very different to the town for people to enjoy. Joe said: “I’m really confident Clay & Crust will do very well in Southport. It’s going to be very family friendly. We’ll have a team of five or six people here.
“It’s something very new, and we’ve had great feedback from everyone we’ve spoken to; including people who’ve called into the site to ask us what we’re working on.
“Fuego’s was such an iconic Southport restaurant, it was here for 25 years. We wanted to come in and transform the building and create something exciting where people can come in, and enjoy great experiences.
“We’d love to welcome any former Fuego’s customers, as well as anyone who’s never been here before. It’s suitable for people of all ages. Who doesn’t love painting pottery?
“We’ll start off opening seven days a week, probably midday to 8pm, and we’ll see what demand is like and how we adapt our offering to suit our customers.
“Rather than create pottery and then head out to find somewhere else to go and eat or grab a drink, you can do it all here.”
Joe is also looking to put on theme nights, singalongs, and host events that are really fun. He added: “We can also come to you for anyone who wants to host pottery parties at home.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage, but I’m very grateful for all the help and support I’ve had from friends and family including Kyle Hendry, Kelly Bond and others.”
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For Joe, opening Clay & Crust is a continuation of his family’s long and successful investment in Southport. He explained: “My dad, Steven Bolger, ran the popular Le Frog restaurant in Southport, and also the Cafe Bar in Ormskirk.
“My brother, Daniel Bolger, owns Penelope’s restaurant in Southport, Emily’s restaurant in Formby and Ghetto Golf in Liverpool city centre. I have worked in hospitality since I was 14 or 15 years old.
“My first ever job was working in a pottery painting studio, so my life’s now come full circle.”