Glasgow entrepreneur Norman adds The Griffin to landmark pub collection

The Griffin, which dates from 1903 and is based on the corner of Bath Street and Elmbank Street, had previously been owned for several years by Glasgow publican Robert Mullen.

It is the latest famous city venue to be snapped up by Mr Norman and Mr White, who have transformed Brel in Ashton Lane since acquiring the bar in a “seven-figure” deal in 2013.

The duo are also the owners of Glasgow’s historic Sloans venue, spread over three floors in the Argyll Arcade, which is now a popular wedding venue and is famous for its film and food nights.

The Griffin will officially be relaunched on September 28 after a £300,000 refurbishment, which involved the installation of a new kitchen, new function area and the restoration of original features.

Mr Norman said The Griffin offers a “huge amount of potential” to the business.

“It’s a really popular place and it’s fair to say that it needed a significant amount of investment,” Mr Norman said. “That’s where Stephen and I come in. Our goal is to keep the core essence of what makes The Griffin great, but introduce lots of new products across food and drink.”

Events will be a key feature of the new-look Griffin, added Mr Norman, who said a programme will be introduced to align the venue more closely to the King’s.

Traditionally, there were three distinct areas within the venue – The Griffin (main bar), The Griffin One and The Griffinette.

The main area will continue to be called The Griffin but those will be supplemented by two new concepts – a private function area called The Stage Door and The Gin Palace, where Scotland’s best gins will be served in goblets.

The Stage Door can be booked by groups of 40 to 50 theatre goers, who will be able to visit before attending shows at the King’s, and then return to enjoy the music from the performance in The Griffin afterwards. With its own stage and audio-visual system installed, the function suite will also double as a performance area. Screenings and small productions will feature in the space.

“It’s such a fun place when you come in because, any given week depending on what is going on at the theatre, the crowd is really different,” Mr Norman said.

“You come in during the Rocky Horror Show and you think you are somewhere in Las Vegas. It’s a bizarre but fun experience.”

Many of the events to be introduced at The Griffin will be inspired by the programme at Sloans.

“The DNA of Sloans and The Griffin are very close in fabric – visually they both look and feel very similar, albeit in different ends of the city,” Mr Norman said.

“We’re going to closely align a lot of the functions, so we are going to bring our Eat Film movie nights to The Griffin and we’re more than likely to bring my macaroni and film events [to the venue] – the Scottish Macaroni Appreciation Club, otherwise known as MAC. They sell out every week.

"We are going to do a lot of things that are fun and bring it to life.”

Meanwhile, Mr Norman highlighted that both Brel and Sloans continue to perform well. Under their ownership, Mr Norman and Mr White have introduced a “magical” 45-cover, heated outdoor dining area in the landscaped garden at Brel, as well as a function room, Upper Brel, on the first floor.

Weddings have become so popular at Sloans, whose roots stretch back to 1797, the first available weekend dates for couples looking to marry at the venue are now in early 2018.

At least 16 events are run at Sloans every week, alongside its busy pub operation, with Mr Norman saying that the venue is growing at an annual rate of 20 per cent.

“Our strategy has been really simple, which is to acquire freehold units that are the fabric of Glasgow,” he said. “They’re all kinds of fairly iconic places.

“Sloans when we took it over was derelict, albeit it had been a real institution, and Brel had seen better days, and we have now grown [them].

“I think Sloans is certainly one of the busiest places in the city.”