When Mark and Gwen Atkinson enjoyed a quiet dinner at their favourite Hull restaurant, the idea of being involved in a new venture with the owners was definitely not on the menu.

However, the Hampshire-based couple were so impressed with the food, service and atmosphere at Port-Side Bistro that when owner Mark Duckett told them of his plans to expand to an even more spectacular waterside location – they jumped at the chance to join forces.

And they celebrated with Mark, his wife Tracey, and guests from around the Hull area, at the launch of the new venture, 13 Bistro & Bar, in the old Warehouse 13 next to Hull Marina.

Gwen is Hull-born and bred but Mark knew little about Hull until they began to make regular visits from their home in Winchester to visit relatives.

“I just expected Hull to be industrial and dark but I couldn’t have been more wrong,” said Mark Atkinson.

“It’s a lovely place with a rich heritage and nice, friendly people who even let you out at traffic junctions!

“We found we were spending quite a bit of time here so instead of staying in hotels we decided to invest in an apartment in Warehouse 13 and make it our second home. We became regulars at Mark and Tracey’s previous restaurant, and when they told us about their plans to move here we thought it was a great project.

“We saw how hard Mark and Tracey work and how successful the previous restaurant was and we realised the location of 13 Bistro & Bar is even better, right on the doorstep of all the activity around Hull Marina and the old Fruit Market.”

The partnership will see Mark and Tracey Duckett looking after the food, drink and front of house while Mark and Gwen Atkinson, who both have strong recruitment sector backgrounds, remain involved behind the scenes.

Mark Duckett added that he will continue his policy of sourcing and serving local produce wherever possible, including from the Yorkshire Brewing Company in Humber Street.

“This area of the city has always been a jewel in Hull’s crown and is really buzzing again so it’s great to be a part of it with a business like this,” he said.

“We’ve opened at just the right time. We expect to be really busy with all the festivals that are coming up but we’ll also enjoy the quieter times. We’ll be a bit flexible with our hours – Wednesday to Saturday will be 11am until 11pm and Sundays are midday until early evening, but we’ll watch the tides and if we see boats coming into the marina we’ll stay open.”

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said: “Hull Marina has really taken off again in the last couple of years and 13 Bistro & Bar is a fantastic addition to the area and to the city centre as a whole.

“The launch event attracted a lot of very influential people from the local business community and they can only have been impressed by what they saw – great food and drink and excellent service in a relaxed atmosphere which reflects the area’s nautical heritage.”

Ends

13 Bistro & Bar balcony pic shows (from left) Mark Atkinson, Tracey Duckett, Mark Duckett, Gwen Atkinson.
www.13bistro.co.uk