Brading’s Hungry Bear has revealed plans to completely rebrand and overhaul the business – but don’t worry, their ‘legendary’ roasts are staying. The Brading-based establishment – owned by Dayna O’Brien and Stuart Downes – will end in its current form on Sunday 25th February. Bursting onto the scene in 2017, initially operating as a ‘pop up’ food van, the business then moved to a site at the Isle of Wight Lavender Farm and then onto a site at Fakenham Farm in St Helens. 3 years in, back in 2020, the business moved from St Helens to Brading and into Rectory Mansion – the former home of the Brading Wax Works – where they have remained ever since. An eatery popular among both locals and fellow Islanders alike they are most well-known for their roast dinners. Taking to their Facebook page, the owners say the next step involves ‘many changes’ and even a ‘name change’. A total overhaul of the fixtures and fittings at the Rectory Mansion premises as well as of the website and social media pages is also expected. The new era will still see Stuart in the kitchen and Dayna supporting him, the team will move in a direction the owners feel they have been being pulled towards for some time. A Hungry Bear statement reads:
“Of course there is a risk, like with anything but there has been a deep intuition pulling us this way for some time. “We have been known to do things differently and be ‘trailblazers’ and I’m sure the rebrand will be no different.”
Until the end of February the business will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday apart from during the half-term when they will open for 7 days. The new establishment will open to the public on Friday 8th March. Any vouchers for Hungry Bear that haven’t yet been used will not be transferable.
“Hungry Bbear” according to the picture! That Google Earth can play some tricks.
Be interesting to see what the new concept is going to be but I do enjoy their roasts.
Not the best location for Parking
There’s a car park just down the road.
I prefer to go to an establishment with a car park.
I don’t expect to pay high prices for a meal and have to pay to park
my vehicle.
It would be like paying for a service wash, but doing my own washing.
Such establishments should pay for customers parking charges.
The Jolly Sailor did a number of years ago.
If you want to save money, just go to your local chippie then.
I can sort of understand this.
If a group of you are meeting up at a venue for a meal, it feels a bit off for everyone to have to pay before they even get to the restaurant.
I’m not sure I’d expect to pay to park if I were going to a pub, for instance. In fact, there’s one just down the road with free parking.
The problem is, I think, that the restaurant is in the wrong place, for a number of reasons. Other businesses have tried this location since the demise of the Wax Works and failed too.
The other thing is, I wish the Echo would stop with the ‘popular’ tag with these places which are closing or, in this case, ‘rebranding’. I’m guessing they wouldn’t be changing anything if it was popular and successful?
The problem is that our local council want to charge us to park everywhere. We own the council so we own council land and we should not be charged for parking on it. Car parking fees are propping up our bankrupt council but they are killing the local economy because people are thinking twice about going shopping or going out for a meal because of extortionate car parking fees. These fees are a disgrace.
You can move deckchairs around a beach but it is still a deckchair.
I just hope that they are going up market rather than down. In particular, I can’t abide those American diner style restaurants with burgers, ribs, pulled pork, fries, slaw, and all the rest of that crap.