Northern Ireland hospitality firm reopens The Foxes Den restaurant with £50,000 investment

Northern Ireland hospitality and event bar catering company Nightcap Event Group has relaunched The Foxes Den, with a £50,000 investment in new branding and enhanced interior fit-out, marking the first phase of an expansion plan across the firm.

Having acquired the Newtownards venue in September 2023 as the Group’s first licenced fixed premises and protecting 20 jobs, this latest investment follows the burgeoning growth of their customer base, both from local business but also new clients from further afield increasingly seeing the location as a “destination” restaurant.

Declan Holmes, managing director at Nightcap Event Group, explained: “Since taking over The Foxes Den last year, we have seen business continue to grow rapidly, receiving fantastic support not just from those within the local community, but from those that are travelling from further afield.

"To accommodate the increased demand, we realised that there was even more potential if we increased the seating capacity and better utilised the space. As a result, table availability within the restaurant has now increased by over 50%.”

Declan continued: “With the fit out, we also wanted to elevate the ambience for our new wider client base by introducing a more intimate and cosy dining experience that was more closely aligned with our brand values and quality food offering, which is curated by our exceptionally talented head chef, Darren Currie and kitchen team, and I believe we have achieved this.”

The Foxes Den restaurant can now accommodate 106 people across 1800 sq ft. with new solid timber flooring and a suite of marble laminate dining tables tastefully interspersed with bespoke plant filled dividers.

Paying tribute to their fit-out partners, local company Nordica Design, Declan, continued: “The fit-out team has done an incredible job; from design to installation, the whole process has been seamless. The refurbishment literally had to be accomplished overnight to minimise any disruption to customers and ensure that the business was not commercially affected. Nordica Design understood the urgency and rose to the challenge admirably.”

Nightcap Event Group was established 10 years ago and has since built an enviable reputation in the hospitality industry, initially as a mobile bartending service for private and business clients before expanding into larger events, consultancy services, event management and event organisation, and more recently, a dedicated outside catering offering.

“The acquisition of The Foxes Den was a bold move, but it has really paid off,” added operations director, Dean McFarland.

“We have both protected and enhanced the business while building upon our expertise in food and catering, and are now able to offer a one-stop shop service for outside events requiring food and drink. This combination is the ideal launch pad for our next period of growth in expanding our hospitality offering and acquiring additional venues.”