Dundee City Council is looking to quadruple rent at the site of a failed Waterfront restaurant.
The prominent city centre restaurant space left empty since its troubled former occupier Brassica closed down is available to rent for £40,000 a year.
The Shore Terrace unit nestled under Caird Hall is owned by Dundee City Council and had housed Brassica — and briefly its follow-up business Brasserie Ecosse — before closing during the pandemic.
Brassica’s directors, dentist Dr Rami Sarraf and convicted fraudster Dea McGill, had secured a 10-year lease when it opened and were supposed to pay a first year’s rent of £10,500.
But after the first iteration closed down just weeks after opening and its relaunched venture failed in the pandemic, the unit has sat empty since 2021.
Brassica opened to much fanfare in 2018, as Dundee welcomed the world to the city’s redeveloped Waterfront and the V&A.
It closed almost immediately, after staff walked out in a dispute over unpaid wages and the business unravelled with rising debts owed to suppliers.
Earlier this month McGill was convicted of stealing tens of thousands of pounds from the company to fund lavish ski trips and holidays to Croatia.
Brassica premises up for rent
Property agents Ryden have advertised the restaurant lease for a minimum of £40,000 a year.
It is understood the property is under offer, but no further details have been made available.
The building is owned by Dundee City Council and advertised through their Dundee Waterfront programme.
Advertising the space, Dundee Waterfront point out the premises is fully licensed with a modern, commercial kitchen.
The restaurant has a capacity of 280 and flexible leases have been offered.
Fixtures and fittings left behind by Brasserie Ecosse are in place, with the new tenants offered an “internal repairing” lease separate from the rent.
McGill to be sentenced
McGill will return to Dunfermline Sheriff Court in December after being convicted by a jury following a near-week long trial.
She was found guilty of pretending to employees at Armada Asset Finance that a joiner, Danijel Vrbas, was “engaged to supply bespoke furniture” to the business and, knowing this to be false, applied for finance through leasing agreements to pay for it.
Court papers say the offence took place between February 1 and May 4, 2018.
McGill, of Broughty Ferry, was also convicted of embezzling a “sum of money” while director of Brassica, between December 4, 2017, and October 8, 2018.
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