URBIS has long seemed an ill-fated site for food and drink. The top floors of the iconic post-IRA Bomb building have hosted Le Mont, The Modern and The Rabbit In The Moon, all finally failing. Now the ground floor casual dining space, most recently attached to the National Football Museum, has ceased to operate as Cafe Football.
Its GG Hospitality brand sibling at Hotel Football alongside Old Trafford will continue to trade under the Cafe Football name. The Urbis football-themed diner will continue under a new name, still run by GG. We expect the food to maintain its less than inspiring standards.
It is the latest in a string of failed projects for GG owners Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, who closed A-list club Mahiki in June last year, followed by The Rabbit In The Moon. That leaves them with the high profile boutique hotel/restaurant project in the old Stock Exchange on Norfolk Street. Major announcements on this expected shortly.
Meanwhile the duo have announced a new partnership between Hotel Football and the Marriott International hotel group, which will see the 133-room Old Trafford hotel added to Marriott's new Tribute Portfolio.
