Team behind new Unorthodox Project proposes smokehouse grill for Elgin to help people get hospitality qualifications
A SMOKEHOUSE grill is being proposed for Elgin by the team behind a new community benefit scheme.
The Unorthodox Project hopes to create opportunities for disadvantaged groups within communities to gain access to SVQs in the hospitality sector.
The team behind the plan has identified a venue on Wards Road for their smokehouse grill vision, which would serve in-house smoked meats and cocktails, and hold a maximum 350 people.
The meat would be smoked in the rear garden, while indoors two concrete pour bars would span almost the entire length of the venue. It is envisaged that at weekends the venue will promote live bands and DJs.
The board behind the proposal has held initial change-of-use discussions with Moray Council to determine the project's suitability.
They have also discussed the terms of lease with the landlord, had the venue assessed, and have created a video representation and floor plans.
The Unorthodox Project is looking for two more board members before it is ready to formally register as a community interest company (CIC).
Former bar manager Jordan MacDonald, from Elgin, is one of the four board members in place so far.
He said: "We have chosen Elgin as a pilot region as there is not only potential from the educational and social point of view – it is estimated that 10 per cent of Moray has no qualifications whatsoever and one in five people are living in poverty – but it also makes great business sense to consider the area, as there’s little competition.
"Elgin doesn’t really have a specialist venue similar to the one that has been proposed and we feel it would be extremely popular with the community."
He added: "I think to a lot of people, when you say the words 'hospitality' and 'career' in the same sentence, they feel it’s contradicting. There’s not much opportunity for progression within the industry unless you can really set yourself out from the crowd and provide something different.
"Businesses are looking for people who are qualified, but they don’t put the same training into their own teams and there lies the problem. A lack of structure, development and variation is bound to make any role feel mundane at the least."
The Unorthodox team are setting up surveys to gauge opinion and interest in the idea.
Jordan, who has managed the Gin Hut and Vogue in Inverness as well as running a small business development service, added: "We anticipate it could take around six months to gather all of the research we need and, on moving forward, another four to six months to get the venue ready to operate."
The project's overarching aims are to develop the workforce, support vulnerable groups in the community and help rebuild the hospitality sector post-Covid.
The board envisages setting up various venues in different locations which would each have between three to eight permanent members of staff. The remaining workforce would be employed on temporary six to 12-month contracts – enough time to complete their courses.
Surplus revenue would be re-injected into their wider objective to benefit the community, such as workshops to assist single parents with budgeting and cooking, baking sessions for young families, and supporting vulnerable people to develop employability and life skills.
The Unorthodox Project has set up a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UnorthodoxProject.
