Coventry’s first permanent indoor street food venue is set to be unveiled this spring when the city becomes UK City of Culture.
FarGo Village is planning to open ‘Factory’ in mid-May once Government restrictions allow food and drinks businesses to operate inside and outside.
Factory will be a food hub, bringing together high-quality, local and national favourites from the street food world; from award-winning burgers, handmade woodfired pizzas and brownies alongside hot drinks and brunch during the day, and cocktails and beers in the evening.
This exciting new venue is combining three of the biggest units at the Creative Quarter, to create one open-plan dining experience with an industrial vibe reflecting the history of the space, which was used as a car radiator factory by Coventry Motor Fittings for 60 years from the turn of the century.
There will also be a new roof terrace and covered canopy for diners to enjoy eating outdoors while COVID and social distancing measures remain in place.
Factory is also wanting to recruit a Food and Beverages Manager to oversee the 340 seating operation.
The £360,000 renovation at FarGo Village has in part been funded by Arts Council England and the Cultural Capital Investment Fund, which includes an allocation from the Getting Building Fund from the Government, through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP).
Elyse Cadden, The Box Venue Manager of FarGo Village said they wanted five different operators to be located within Factory.
“We have had a couple of residencies from street food companies which have proved hugely popular and we believe this kind of independent street food venue is missing within Coventry’s dining sector,” she said.
“We also have some fantastic foodie businesses at FarGo Village already including Leave it to Esmie, Dirty Kitch, BIB Noodle, Twisted Barrel, Gourmet Food Kitchen and Choc n Roll. The addition of this outdoor dining space will allow these existing businesses to maximise their trading opportunities after an incredibly difficult year.
“We now want to attract additional new quality, experienced street food vendors who plan to make FarGo Village a core of their activities. However, we also have the flexibility to regularly change some of the operators to ensure there is always something new on offer. This will help cement FarGo Village as the place for independent dining in Coventry.
“There will also be the theatre of being able to watch your food being cooked whether it is a burger being flamed or a pizza base being hand pulled and cooked in a wood-fired oven.
“The plan is to open just after the launch of UK City of Culture once Government restrictions allow for indoor and outdoor dining – we just need the sun to shine!”
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration at Coventry City Council and CWLEP board director, said: “The idea of a street food area at FarGo with new outdoor space is a great idea – not only will it offer opportunities for existing traders it will also attract new ones.
“I think after a year of lockdowns there will be a real appetite for this kind of offer and with a wide range of tastes from local specialities to food from across the globe, I think it’s sure to be a real hit.
“Like Far Gosford Street, FarGo has very quickly established a name for itself in the city and it has a growing number of loyal fans as well as continuing to attract visitors from outside the city. The idea of a food factory can only boost FarGo’s popularity further.”
Any street food operators interested in becoming part of Factory, should email factory@fargovillage.co.uk.
FarGo is keen to speak to people who may have worked at the Coventry Motor Fittings factory that was previously based there, and are particularly interested in finding old photographs of the factory, ideally with negatives, that could be incorporated into the branding and interior design of the space.
If you have any old images or footage of Coventry Motor Fittings, please contact factory@fargovillage.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
Getting Building Fund
On 4 August 2020, the government confirmed the list of over 300 successful projects which will receive a share of £900 million from the Getting Building Fund.
The full list of projects is available on GOV.UK.
The Getting Building Fund is investing in shovel-ready infrastructure projects to create jobs and support economic recovery across the country. Projects funded include:
- regeneration of town and city centres
- green infrastructure and clean energy
- transport and digital connectivity improvements
- unlocking of housing and business sites
- support for SMEs and learners
The successful projects (over 300) are expected to deliver up to 85,000 jobs, over 1,500,000 sqm of commercial floor space, unlocking 45,000 homes, almost 1,000,000 sqm of the public realm or green space improved or created, over 50,000 new learners assisted, and 65 million kgs of CO2 emissions saved.
All projects have been selected by Local Enterprise Partnerships and Mayoral Combined Authorities in each area and endorsed by the Housing Secretary.
Midlands Engine
Some Midlands Engine key facts:
- The Midlands Engine is home to over 10.3m people and has a £238bn economy, generating over 12% of the UK’s Gross Value Added.[1] The Midland Engine Partnership aims to close the productivity gap to match or exceed the national average by 2030.
- The Midlands is home to 835,000 businesses, and in 2019, the Midlands accounted for a 22% share of all of England’s goods exports.