Hank’s Dirty to open permanent Castle Quarter diner

Vegan restaurant’s move follows successful trading within ‘Castle Social’ street food quarter

Castle Quarter – Norwich’s social, leisure and lifestyle destination – has signed Hank’s Dirty on a permanent basis, following the vegan casual dining operator’s decision to open a full restaurant offer within the scheme.

Hank’s Dirty was an inaugural street food operator within the Castle Social market hall concept at Castle Quarter when it opened in autumn 2022. Following a successful period of trading, the specialist vegan brand has decided to commit to the destination on a longer-term basis, taking unit two, totalling 2,007 sq ft, in the Timberhill terrace area of the scheme on a new six-year lease.

In a sign of the popularity of Castle Social, the company behind Hank’s Dirty is to retain its unit within the space to open the first outlet for its new Top Dawgs & Desserts concept, with a menu featuring plant-based hot dogs, ice creams and other desserts.

The new restaurant follows a period of record performance for Castle Quarter, which has recorded footfall for the year to date 10.7 percent higher than the same period in 2022, comparing favourably with both the East of England Region (+5.2 percent) and the UK as a whole (+4.8 percent). Total turnover was 22.4 percent higher during the year to October 2023, compared to the 12 months up to October 2022. Trading hours have extended and average dwell time increased following Castle Quarter’s repositioning towards leisure and social.

Castle Quarter’s pivot towards leisure, entertainment, dining and community services has brought more people to the destination for longer visits, extending the trading day and driving improved commercial performance. Notable additions to the line-up include Boom Battle Bar, Putt Putt Noodle, Escape Hunt and Vector VR. New restaurants have also been attracted to the scheme, either in standalone units or through the Castle Social ‘market hall’ street food and entertainment space. In addition, the eight-screen Vue Cinema has committed to a major refurbishment in 2024.

Will Ashdown, asset manager at RivingtonHark, said: “The decision by Hank’s Dirty to open a standalone restaurant at Castle Quarter is hugely exciting, and reflects the success it has seen in its year within Castle Social. When we launched Castle Social, we envisioned it being a destination in its own right, incubating new concepts and giving opportunities to exciting pop-ups. The progression of Hank’s Dirty to permanent presence is the perfect illustration of this process, and demonstrates the success of Castle Quarter following its pivot towards social, leisure and lifestyle.”

Roche and Jamieson Mills are the retained agents on Castle Quarter.