A popular restaurant in Sandown, which opened 6-and-a-half years ago following the complete renovation of an early 1900s bandstand, has gone on the market.
The Bandstand at Culver Parade, owned by Paul and Donna Rowling, is a sought after location for diners thanks to the stunning panoramic views across Sandown Bay, as well as the consistently tasty food produced by head chef Scott Stephens and his team.
Purchased from the Isle of Wight Council in 2013, Paul and Donna started renovating the former bandstand and cafe in 2014 before opening the doors to customers just 7 months later in April 2015.
The building was originally built around 1910 but had sadly fallen into disrepair after a cafe in the downstairs section closed in the mid-1970s. The sympathetic work undertaken to transform the tired, abandoned building into an attractive restaurant saw the couple win a conservation award in 2016.
After 2 challenging lockdowns, the restaurant has seen its busiest summer ever, employing some 19 staff at its peak. But now the time has come for the couple to move on…
Paul has told Island Echo:
“The restaurant has been our life for the last 7 years with the help of our dedicated team of staff. It’s now time to move on and pursue other opportunities.
“We hope that when The Bandstand is sold and new owners take over that it remains a fantastic place to eat and socialise, with some of the best views on the Island”.
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The Bandstand has been placed on the open market with Gully Howard. Offers are invited in the region of £585,000 for the business, goodwill, fixtures/fittings and a long leasehold of the bandstand building.
Paul and Donna intend to stay on the Island and have a few ideas of what they would like to do next – but it is all a wait and see!
Paul and Donna are lovely people, I wish them well in whatever they decide to do next.
Nice block of luxury flats, excellent spot
I am surprised Paul is not building them .
Too think IW Council sold this building for peanuts
I don’t know about other, more educated people but using ‘too’ instead of ‘to’ is really starting to annoy me. – Couldn’t we have someone spell-checking comments on here, please?
Seems you are two sensetive. It is the content and point of a post which matters. To much time on your hands and too little in your life if that is ALL you add to this bb.
What a sad life you have.
They still own the building. The owners only own the business and whatever the leasehold is.