The partnership will see Wild Flor co-founder James Thomson and head chef George Upshall oversee the Kemptown venue’s 50-cover dining room in what is being described as a permanent residency arrangement.
Earlier this year, Restaurant reported that hospitality entrepreneurs Tim Hall and Marc Wise were seeking investment for a new challenger brand designed to reinvent wine “as an experiential neighbourhood concept”.
At the time, the concept was called The Wine Yard, though it appears the name was later changed after it emerged that it was already being used by an operator in Surrey.
Hall is best known as the founder and former chief executive of Pod, one of the UK’s early healthier fast-food concepts. Wise was until recently a director at upmarket Hove wine shop and bar 9 Vines and was previously involved with London wine bar chain Planet of the Grapes.
The pair say they have identified more than 50 potential sites for a national rollout of The Vine House concept.
Set to open towards the end of June, the Kemptown site will seat up to 120 people across a restaurant, bar and private dining space. It will also have a retail bottle shop.
Thomson said the partnership developed out of an existing relationship with Wise following previous collaborations at 9 Vines.
“We know Marc well and have done a few things together over the years. They want each site to have its own independent feel, which is where the partnership with us came in,” he told Restaurant.
“The conversation started when Marc mentioned he was looking for a GM and head chef for the Kemptown site. It’s their business and their site -we’re effectively consulting and running the kitchen and front-of-house operation, while they oversee the wine list and bottle shop side of things.
“It’s the opposite side of town from us, so it feels like a good fit. We’ve also been looking to do something over that side of Brighton for some time.”
Menu details have yet to be revealed, though Thomson said the offering will reflect Wild Flor’s original concept as a simpler, Lyon-inspired wine bar focused on snacks and small plates.
“It’ll be more in line with how Wild Flor started out - somewhere people can come in for a few glasses of wine and a snack,” he said.
“Wild Flor naturally evolved into more of a restaurant because that’s how customers wanted to use it, which has been great. It’s no secret things are tough at the moment. The original site is doing okay all things considered, but like a lot of operators we’re looking at different opportunities as well.”
Wild Flor was founded on Church Road in 2019 by Thomson, Faye Hudson and Rob Maynard, all of whom previously worked at some of Brighton and Hove’s best-known restaurants.