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Back to the Buttery with Two Fat Ladies
When Ryan James bought the long-established Buttery restaurant in Glasgow in 2007, he had plans from the outset to change things. For one thing, he had to; the building had been ravaged by fire the previous December and it had to be completely gutted inside and rebuilt from scratch. Using the experience and expertise of a specialist design consultancy, Ryan outlined his vision for the legendary restaurant. Today it is back with a new look, a variation of the same name, and an equally deserving reputation.
Catering in Scotland lifts the lid on what it took to make a national institution rise from the ashes once again…
Despite not owning a restaurant or hotel, Mark Brunjes knows how they operate.
As Design Director of the Georgeson Group (formerly CM Design Consultants), he has had plenty of experience in the redesign and refit of dozens of establishments throughout Scotland. When asked to assist with the rebirth of the Buttery, he viewed it as a double challenge: 'I wanted to understand how the restaurant operated under its former owners, and how the new proprietor would like it to be run,' he says. 'During my initial visit I was keen to find out what it was Ryan and his team were looking to achieve with the new venture. Every establishment is different; some want to create an entirely new concept, while others merely want to build on what they have in order to attract more business.'
Ryan, it turns out, was looking to do both; first by capitalising on the Buttery name and secondly by stamping his own identity onto the new restaurant: 'They were already known for their [Glasgow] city centre award-winning Two Fat Ladies, but Ryan wanted to take this a step further, to integrate the Buttery brand with Two Fat Ladies,' adds Mark.
To help them to make the most of the space available, Mark unblocked the original doors which had been covered up for years: 'The former entrance wasn't in a good location and it led customers down a dark corridor into the restaurant,' he explains. 'When we discovered the original 10-foot-tall mahogany hardwood doors behind a few inches of plywood – accessed from Argyle St, almost underneath the Kingston Bridge – it made sense to restore these and put them to use. Now when customers enter they see the bar directly ahead of them.'
In addition to the internal work, Mark and his colleagues also renovated some of the external features and updated the signage, lighting and car park: 'The Buttery was more of a restoration project, and we wanted to make the best of the features that were already there, so we restored the hardwood and some of the antique furniture and we added Victorian screens from architectural salvage yards and reformed the oak panelling inside. 'Then we upgraded the bits we knew needed updating and fitted some contemporary lighting to complement the new colour schemes. 'We've had great feedback, even from a former owner from the 1950s.'
Ryan, meanwhile, was also keen to forge a new identity for the place, knowing that he would have to work hard to better the restaurant's enviable reputation: 'We were starting from a clean slate but because it was the Buttery we had to ensure that anything we did was sympathetic with how it had been,' he says. 'We were also keeping an adapted version of the original Buttery name, so people would expect it to be in keeping with how they had known it before the fire.'
Indeed, so many people had favoured the restaurant since it first opened in 1869 that it had garnered a strong reputation both locally and around Scotland, and had recently been rated the seventh best place to eat in the world by a respected online restaurant guide.
Having utilised the services of Georgeson's CM Design Consultants for the 2005 refit of his other venture, Two Fat Ladies, Ryan didn't hesitate to consider them again for his latest venture. By his own admission, the interior had started to get a little sad and tired, and it had been in need of a thorough refurb even before the fire's assistance: 'Except for the walls there was nothing left after it had burnt down, but despite the devastation caused by the fire and water we saw it as the ultimate challenge to do something with it. It was clearly a unique opportunity to revamp the place while retaining the original atmosphere.'
James worked with Mark to draw up plans which included architectural sketches of the remodelled restaurant and the brand-new kitchen: 'Mark advised us on everything from the structural changes right down to the décor and even the carpets,' continues Ryan. 'We ripped out the old frosted glass that had been a feature for so long, and we replaced it with plate glass to open the space up a bit.'
Indeed, encouraging the use of natural light constituted a big part of the refit, and both design consultant and client were keen to maximise the possibilities: 'The Buttery had always seemed to be such a dark place in the past but we wanted to take advantage of the natural light available,' explains Ryan. 'Mark does mood lighting very well and he has enhanced the overall atmosphere of the place and made full use of the natural light that was available, while retaining the original Victorian look.'
In addition to installing new furniture throughout the restaurant, the former chefs' office on the first floor was turned into a chic circular chefs' table for eight, which can be booked exclusively. 'It can either be used as private space, or diners can have a look in at what's going on in the kitchen,' he adds. 'It even has an en suite toilet!'
All in all it would appear that the fire has been a blessing in disguise for the Buttery. Having been around for so long and with such a loyal following it was in danger of becoming dated and of not moving with the times. However, the merging of the Buttery and Two Fat Ladies brands appears to have gone well so far, with numerous positive reviews and a place in the shortlist of the Restaurant Newcomer of the Year category at the 2008 CIS Excellence Awards.
With its new lease of life instilled through a combination of Ryan's ambition and the vision and skill of Mark Brunjes at Georgeson, Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery has secured its place back in the hearts and bellies of Scotland's discerning diners.
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine November/December 2008.
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