New venture Breaking Bread comes to The Downs

A cooperative of Bristol hospitality businesses has come together to create Breaking Bread: a brand new socially-distanced dining experience on The Downs.

Opening to the public on Friday, July 31st, this pop-up restaurant and outdoor eating and drinking space is the brainchild of Josh Eggleton, Pasta Loco, The Pipe and Slippers and Team Love, and will give a boost to Bristol’s incredible hospitality industry.

Breaking Bread will be a tipi village with two 60-cover dining spaces, which will serve food from both The Pony & Trap and Pasta Loco. There will also be two pub-cafe gardens, brought to you by The Pipe and Slippers and The Love Inn.

Each of the venues will feature 20 tables with adjustable dividers, meaning you’ll be able to book for parties of between two and six people.

Josh Eggleton explains: “This has been a challenging few months for the hospitality industry.

“It isn’t just the bricks and mortar restaurants that have been affected; it’s chefs, kitchen staff, front of house and all the local producers that create amazing ingredients for us. The whole structure of the hospitality industry is at risk, one that locally is of real importance.

“Breaking Bread will have a strong element of social enterprise running through it. Of course, we want to get people sitting down, eating and drinking in a safe space but we want to boost the industry, get supply chains moving and get people back into work.”

At first, Breaking Bread will create direct employment for up to 90 people, as well as the production team needed to build the tipi village. If all goes well, the hope is that more restaurants and other venues will be able to join in the future.

What’s more, a proportion of Breaking Bread’s profits will be put into a central fund to help community organisations and initiatives across Bristol. The plan is to appoint a board, overseeing employment and training opportunities at Breaking Bread – particularly to help young people across the city.

Bookings will need to be made in advance, with sittings available Thursday evenings, Friday and Saturday lunchtimes and evenings, and Sunday lunch. Visit the Breaking Bread website to see the menus, and to book!