Lincoln College has taken over the Old Bakery on Burton Road to make it the only not-for-profit fine dining restaurant in the city, and help plug skills gaps in catering and hospitality across Lincolnshire.
Using a grant for the Lincoln Towns Fund, the College bought the restaurant and invested in a dining room and kitchen refit, before opening the doors to the public again this week.
Further Towns Fund money has been invested in the College training kitchens at its Monks Road campus to mark the launch of the Lincoln School of Hospitality and Catering.
Level three college students and apprentices will get the opportunity to work alongside the Head Chef Barry Dawson at the Old Bakery as part of their “Finishing School” preparation to enter the workplace.
Mark Taylor, Lincoln College Director of Business Development, said: “When the previous owner put this place on the market we saw it as the perfect partner to the Lincoln School of Catering and Hospitality.
“Our new Old Bakery manager Chris and Head Chef Barry will continue to serve the best fine dining food in the city, but we’ll all be working towards a much bigger training solution for the county.
“Our catering, front of house, barista and mixology students will get to learn from Barry and Chris and work in a real-life industry setting that has the highest standards. This will enable us to produce really experienced, productive apprentices for restaurants, pubs and bars across the county.
“We also want to work with local business to deliver new courses to their staff to ensure the county’s tourism and hospitality sector has the highest standards of delivery and customer service.”
Old Bakery Manager Chris Wilson said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for me personally and it’s really going to enliven the local scene. Every penny spent in the Old Bakery will be reinvested in education and training from now on – that’s a totally new concept.”
