New Tullamore venture by Westmeath entrepreneur set to create 35 jobs

A €250,000 investment in a high-end food and beverage business by the proprietor of Browne's on the Green in Tyrrellspass is expected to create up to 35 new jobs in Tullamore in the coming weeks.

‘Browne’s – The Venue’ is set to open its doors to the Offaly public for the first time at the end of June in a premises which was previously known as William Street and also traded in recent years as The Wolftrap.

The new venture, on Columcille Street, is the brainchild of the Browne Group which is headed up by Westmeath entrepreneur and farmer, Padraig Browne, and his family, who already own and operate Browne’s on the Green in the Westmeath village of Tyrrellspass and also opened the hugely-popular Browne’s Bistro in Tullamore last September.

Deirdre Coyne, General Manager of the Browne Group, confirmed to the Offaly Independent this week that the company has already begun the process of recruitment for a number of positions including chefs, kitchen porters, bar staff, including a bar manager and a mixologist, and also front of house staff.

The e-mail address for submitting applications for these positions is: brownesgroup@gmail.com

While operating with a bar licence, both Deirdre Coyne and Padraig Browne are very keen to stress that their new venture in Tullamore will offer customers “the complete package” and something different when it comes to options for socialising with family and friends.

‘Browne’s – The Venue’ promises high-end casual food, an extensive cocktail menu with all cocktails being freshly made using fresh fruit; a weekend lunch menu; live music on Thursday and Friday nights followed by a DJ set and an outdoor dining area with live music at weekends throughout the summer.

“The food offering will be completely different and what we are hoping to offer our customers is high-end casual food using the best of local ingredients and in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere,” said Deirdre Coyne.

The kitchen team in the new Tullamore venture will be headed up by Padraig Browne’s daughter, Mary Jo, whose twin sister, Patricia, works as part of the kitchen team in Browne’s Bistro, right next door to the new business.

In what is very much a family affair, all the lamb used across the three Browne Group food enterprises is sourced from the farm of Padraig’s eldest son, Seán, in Kilbeggan and Dalystown and they are hoping to be able to source all their beef from the farm next year.

“It is a farm to fork business, in the truest sense of the word,” says Padraig Browne, who is a native of Waterford and comes from a farming background. He began working for the Dunbia group in 2004, eventually working his way up to Procurement Manager, and his first foray into business was in 2016 when he took over The Village Hotel in Tyrrellspass and opened Browne’s on the Green.

The Browne Group places a big emphasis on its food offering, and currently employs 11 fully-qualified chefs across its three businesses. Last September, it took a lease on a premises in Tullamore which was formerly occupied by a Chinese takeaway and opened Browne’s Bistro, which has proved to be hugely popular. The business currently employs 15 staff and is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

Deirdre Coyne says the people of Tullamore have been “incredibly supportive” of Browne’s Bistro since it opened, and over the past few months the management team identified “a real gap in the market” for a venue that would offer “an all-round food and beverage package to everyone, from a family going out for a bite to eat at weekends, to a couple out for a romantic night to a group of friends who just want to meet up to socialise and have a few drinks.”

The group has taken a ten-year lease from Seamus Kane, who is the owner of the former William Street premises, and Deirdre Coyne says they have “an option to extend the lease.” Mr. Kane is also the owner of the building where Browne’s Bistro is located.

While the building is “structurally fine” according to Deirdre Coyne, she says the Browne Group is working hard on colour schemes, décor, fixture and fittings to ensure that they create “just the right atmosphere” for customers.

“We already have a fantastic team of staff in Browne’s Bistro in Tullamore and anyone who has dined there will be familiar with our high-end casual dining and the warm and inviting atmosphere, so they won’t be disappointed when we open our new business right next door,” she says.