Having seen London turn into a ‘ghost town’ as the pandemic took hold, hospitality manager Bruno Santos-Costa headed back to Jersey.
He told Emily Moore what it’s taken to set up a new eaterie in the Island’s capital
FOR someone whose life revolved around London’s bustling restaurant scene, lockdown came as something of a shock for Bruno Santos-Costa.
He recalls the usually frenetic capital city took on the somewhat eerie appearance of a ‘ghost town’ as the streets emptied and businesses pulled down their shutters.
‘It was very spooky,’ said Bruno who, at the time, was the manager of Randall and Aubin, a group of French-British seafood restaurants with premises in Soho and Manchester.
‘In the days before lockdown, you were constantly surrounded by people. Then, suddenly, the place was deserted. You could walk through Soho and not see a soul. When you’re standing in Covent Garden underground station and there isn’t a tourist in sight, you know that you’re in trouble.’
It was against this bleak backdrop that Bruno and his fiancée decided to return to the Island. And, with hospitality ‘in his blood’, it was not long before the seeds for his new business venture – The Watchmaker – were sown.
‘I was very bored in lockdown and spent a lot of time walking around town, looking at premises and seeing what was going on,’ explained the former De La Salle College student.
And it was during one of those strolls that Bruno’s attention was caught by the ‘for sale’ sign in the window of the former Jersey Pottery shop on the corner of Halkett Place and Waterloo Street.
‘I have always fallen in love with cute places and I was instantly attracted by the building’s curved glass and large windows,’ he said. ‘Instantly, I could see how the space could work as a restaurant – and, six months later, the work was complete and the doors to The Watchmaker opened.’
While that may sound simple, the reality was far less straight-forward.
‘The process of applying to change a building’s use is extremely convoluted and really should be simplified,’ he said. ‘It isn’t overly inviting at the moment for anyone planning to launch their own business and the law is written in a way which makes it very difficult for laymen to understand. It really should be rewritten. Having said that, though, I have to thank [St Helier Constable] Simon Crowcroft and the town centre manager for their fantastic support in helping to bring my dream to fruition.’
That dream is, in Bruno’s words, a ‘European-style bar’, which combines features of the restaurants in which he has previously worked, together with inspiration he has drawn from his travels.
‘The vision is a place where people can eat well, drink well and chat lots,’ he smiled. ‘If you can combine those elements, in my eyes, you have a good evening. I have always been a fan of French-style bistros and brasseries, so there are several French influences within The Watchmaker, something which also makes sense given Jersey’s history, but I have also taken inspiration from London and New York.’
While this is Bruno’s first business venture, his love of the hospitality industry goes back to his childhood.
‘My grandfather used to run hotels for the Modern Hotel Group, so hospitality has always been in my blood,’ he explained. ‘I studied hospitality and events management at university before moving to London, where I started working in restaurants and I’ve never looked back.
‘I was lucky enough to complete my graduate management scheme with the Segal family’s One Group. My grandfather had worked with Maurice Segal, of the Modern Hotel Group, so for me to then work with Maurice’s son, Jonathan, in some of his London properties, such as Radio Rooftop and the Hippodrome Casino, was fantastic.’
It was the building’s history that gave rise to its name. Bruno said that the first record about the property that he had found was from 1871, at which point it was the premises of Edgar Bros – a jewellers and watchmakers.
With an emphasis on fine food and wine, The Watchmaker offers a selection of produce sourced from across Europe.
‘It is a charcuterie bar, so we offer a wide range of cheeses and meats from Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, together with an extensive selection of wines, most of which are available by the glass,’ said Bruno. ‘In the summer, we are hoping to add a seafood offer, using local produce wherever possible. As with the charcuterie, I would like the seafood to be served in the style of sharing plates, so that the experience remains constantly social because that, for me, is the essence of hospitality.’
While Bruno and fellow De La Salle College alumnus and general manager Harry Watson place great importance on their guests’ social experience, the focus on the quality of the operation is just as high.
‘Jersey strives for quality, no matter what, so there is nowhere to hide in this game,’ smiled Bruno. ‘That suits our style. We have a small menu and we strive to get everything right. That is what the public deserves.’
It is also, says Bruno, essential, as restaurateurs compete for business in a somewhat crowded marketplace.
‘At the last count there were around 380 restaurants in the Island, which is incredible when you consider the size of the Island,’ he added. ‘That did make opening The Watchmaker slightly daunting but the nice thing about being in good company is that you have to raise your game. With such a high level of competition, you end up with better restaurants which, in turn, is better for the restaurateurs, the customers and the Island as whole.’
Far from worrying about the number of competitors he faces, Bruno would welcome the arrival of more restaurants and bars in town.
‘I would love to see more restaurants opening,’ he said. ‘We are a very foodie island, with incredible produce on our doorstep and great operators. As a restaurateur, it is great to be around such strong operators. It is also a great selling point for Jersey, as food and drink plays such an important role in people’s holiday experiences. Any visitor eating out in Jersey would find it difficult not to have a good time.’
But with questions being asked about the number of hospitality businesses opening in premises formerly occupied by retail outlets, what future does Bruno see for the town centre?
‘The key difference between hospitality and retail is that you cannot replicate the restaurant or bar experience online,’ he said. ‘As more and more people are getting used to shopping online, the high street needs to develop accordingly. The most important thing is that the town centre remains vibrant. While shops may be in decline, you cannot have an empty high street.
‘I’m not saying that King Street and Queen Street should become a strip of restaurants and bars, but we do need thriving businesses to keep the area alive.’
And on the subject of a thriving town centre, Bruno would also like to see changes within one of his business’s nearest neighbours.
‘The Central Market is such a beautiful building and full of history,’ he said. ‘I would love to see it used much more than it is at the moment. It would be great to see it open at night with more food-and-drink outlets setting up there. I feel that, at the moment, that building is a luxury which we don’t value enough.’
While keen to see more businesses opening in St Helier, Bruno’s foremost priority is developing his own operation and, core to that, is feedback from customers.
‘We have only been open for a couple of months, so it is really important to listen to our diners and see what they want,’ he said. ‘While most of the feedback has been really positive, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.’
