Bristol independent cafe Burra is opening its third venue next month. Burra, which was founded in February 2021 by Bristol Bears players Jake Heenan and Luke Morahan, alongside their partners Adele and Madison, currently operates across two sites in Redland and Bedminster.
The teammates and their families wanted to create a hospitality experience in the city which promotes an ethical lifestyle with a menu filled with organic and locally sourced produce. The dog friendly venues are now go-to foodie spots for many in the city.
Now, they’ll be taking over what was formerly Bar Chocolat in The Mall at Clifton Village. Jake Heenan told BristolLive: “It’s going to have the same Antipodean brunch restaurant sort of feel as our other sites. We’re also going to stick to one team which will work between the three sites.
“We found in the past that having different teams just created subcultures, and people and culture is such a big part of what we do, we’ve had a lot more success having one team, having a young leadership group and being able to keep consistency throughout the organisation.
“We have to be careful to grow organically. I think like any business, its growth can only depend on the people who can grow with it. I think we’re in a really good place for three sites at the moment, between the leadership and the staff we have.”
‘We’re trying to be a really positive force in the community’
In terms of the food on offer, Burra is known for its best-selling dishes that include the likes of smashed avocado with chilli jam, whipped feta with poached eggs, whipped ricotta with harissa and eggs, and much much more. Jake adds that the aim at Burra is: “Having good brunch dishes but trying to elevate it close to that restaurant standard, and creating things you can’t kind of whip up at home. So it’s still very much the case that the brunch dishes are the favourite.
“We’re really trying to bring restaurant quality ingredients, restaurant quality products, and probably most importantly, restaurant quality service. As part of our list of principles, which are written on our blackboards, we’re trying to be a really positive force in the community and trying to bring not just a good product, but a really good feeling.
“We want people to feel like they’re coming into a home and feel really welcome and looked after. That’s what we’re trying to bottle up and give people. Our fifth principle of six is that we exist to serve the community and we’re really hoping we can now bring that to Clifton Village and do that for the people there.”
When it comes to Burra’s success, and what makes it stand out from other cafes, coffee shops and foodie spots in the city, Jake goes on to say: “Everyone has their own identity and everyone brings something slightly different. Everyone has their own thing.
“What we’ve managed to do is discover what our identity is and get a hold of it, and all our decision making is really driven towards that. It’s about community, about people, quality of service, which are all great and external things, but when things look easy and fun and relaxed, it’s because a lot of hard work has gone on in the background.
“You have to work really hard, have honest conversations, and do difficult things to earn the right to be able to do a really good job for people, especially in hospitality. Our values are like the North Star we keep driving towards, and we’ll keep on striving towards that.”
Burra’s new venue at 19, The Mall Clifton Village, is set to open in early March.