Chef Chris Mears is opening a bigger and better version of his cult Barras eatery, the Scran café, just along the road in Glasgow’s Saltmarket.
To accommodate demand which often saw queues outside his London Road premises, Mears is opening Scran + Roadie at Jocelyn Square, opposite Glasgow Green and just down from the High Court.
The planned opening on June 21 will be just ahead of the following month’s three-day Trnsmt Festival on the Green, which will bring huge crowds to see artistes including 50 Cent, Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol.
The café will have outside seating and is in the process of obtaining its drinks licence.
Mears, who has been in the hospitality trade since he was 15 and has run his own fine dining restaurant in Lanarkshire, said: “This is a new chapter for Scran which started originally on Alexandra Parade in Dennistoun in 2018, moving to London Road in 2022.
“We have had an unbelievable reception in the Barras and we want to bring what we do to even more people. The building will triple our capacity.
“The Roadie part of the new name is a tribute to New York culture, and the city’s slang term for a slice of pizza to take away. We are increasing the team from six to 15 and have been able to attract some of the best pizza talent in the business.
“Regulars will still be able to enjoy our speciality coffee by the Roasting Project, Stornoway black pudding, fantastic Corrie Mains eggs and bespoke artisan bread from the Bavarian Bakehouse, and from midday, we will also be serving slices of thin and crisp 20-inch pizzas – that’s bigger than a dartboard.”
Scran + Roadie will continue Mears’ commitment to high quality ingredients, while introducing new dishes such as shawarma and barbecued pork shoulder and drinks such as Vietnamese coffee and salt and pepper caramel latte.
The expansion is being backed by the Worq Group, which specialises in building and managing luxury hotels and restaurants as well as residential complexes. Worq’s portfolio includes Boutique 50 in Finnieston, El Santo restaurant and Revolver hotel in Glasgow, Riva restaurant in Helensburgh, Hemingway’s bar in Leith and Luci’s, a restaurant in Lasswade.
Founder and director of the Worq Group, Jonathan Doherty, said: “Our interest is in identifying new opportunities and responding to emerging market trends and we are pleased to be partnering with Chris Mears and his team in their new venture in a really exciting part of Glasgow.
“Scran has already proved how popular its offering can be, with a dedicated following built up in a very short space of time, and we are confident that the new Scran + Roadie will build on and energise that success.”
