Restaurateur set to open new venue after buying a declining pub

Months after buying a former public house, restaurateur Kostas Aslanidis is about to open his new upmarket venue The Albion At Ryhope Restaurant & Bar in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.

Business at the former Albion pub, which is believed to date back to the 1920s, had suffered in recent times before being bought by Mr Aslanidis.

After injecting a six-figure sum and their own hard physical toil into the endeavour to transform the premises, the Greek businessman and his wife Lijie Zhang are ready to open for custom, having done the work to see their vision come to life.

Certain items have been kept to preserve a link to the pub’s past including original fireplaces, a clock and last orders bell, and in part to appease local residents.

Kostas told: “We have talked to residents and made sure they have been kept informed of our plans at every stage. I even went to a local community meeting to introduce myself. It is very important that they can see the positive improvements we are bringing.”

Also a trained chef, Kostas moved to the North East in the early 1990s to study business, hotel and catering. Twelve full and part-time jobs have been created to staff the new venue.