IKEA Belfast has spent £275,000 beefing up its restaurant, increasing capacity by almost a third and making it Northern Ireland’s largest eatery.
The restaurant, which can now seat 450, has been designed for the digital age and now includes USB ports, free wi-fi and an interactive digital children’s play area.
And the refurbishment also resulted in the recruitment of 12 new co-workers in Ikea Food.
Designed by Ikea Belfast’s interior design team and with relaxed seating and booths, it incorporates garden walls, wooden birch trees and a range of different seating zones which overlook Belfast Harbour.
Ikea’s food manager Rebecca Davies, “This family friendly restaurant has been entirely transformed and the new design has incorporated feedback from our customers including local breastfeeding groups. We are sure our customers will agree that it’s a gorgeous space with a superb ambience."
She added: “We identified some time ago that there was a need for more seating so it was an ideal opportunity to rejuvenate our popular restaurant.
"The revamp has also allowed us to make a significant investment in encouraging a more healthy lifestyle including introducing a new range of reduced sugar drinks and cutting sugar by half in the drinks tower.”
The restaurant also has a strong focus on sustainability with LED lighting used throughout, and the serving of UTZ sustainable coffee and fish and shrimps from independently certified fisheries.
Last year, Ikea became the first retailer to use 100 per cent cotton from more sustainable sources and these fabrics are also used throughout the new decor.
