Management at Haskins raised a glass this month to the first-year success of a new restaurant at one of its garden centres.
The replacement eatery opened 12 months ago at the Haskins Garden Centre at West End, Southampton, and has enjoyed a 75% rise in turnover compared to the restaurant that was originally there.

Representing an investment of £2.3m, the restaurant was launched as part of a general revamp of the garden centre that cost some £4m in total. The overhaul of the restaurant included installing much larger kitchens and more than doubling the original 220 covers, and it now employs over 70 full- and part-time staff.

"Since the new 460-seat restaurant opened we've served over 180,000 meals, 300,000 teas and coffees and have hosted a variety of daytime and evening events," said Haskins chief executive Julian Winfield. "We're delighted that the investment in the expansion of the original restaurant, built in 1996, has proved to be a hit with our customers."

To celebrate, he shared a bottle of champagne and a special cake with the centre's general manager Matt Hill and group catering manager Carl Hadfield.

Catering now contributes 20% of the £31m turnover generated by the four centres owned by what is still a family business.