CHUCK AND BLADE, RAMSGATE.

Ramsgate welcomes a new and exciting restaurant where the old "Travellers in Italy" restaurant was but more popularly remembered as Pizza Express which enjoyed a regal position on Ramsgates Royal Harbour marina within this gorgeous building.

Welcome then to Chuck and Blade who have emerged onto the hospitality stage like The Prodigy on cocaine.

I admit I had never heard of them and that is forgivable given they only started as a pop up in 2020, but now they have 4 sites in Kent and appear to be on the charge!

I love a success story, especially when it is against all the odds, don't they know there's a war on?

Yes the cost of living weighs heavily on most hospitality businesses but like I've written before, if you are attractive then you can not only survive, but you can thrive.

They haven't even opened yet so forgive my forthcoming ramble for it is nothing more than  my initial thoughts without actually eating the food or smelling the fresh paint.

This is what makes me tick, self indulged thinking about the whys, the could theys and should theys and the reality of the challenges they may face. 

So this is a review of nothing more than asking about the how and why (mainly for my own amusement...) Just go with it...

Before I go on, I often look back at what came before. Who will they be recieving the baton from, and who did they take it from, not in a weird paternity test kind of way mind you, but lessons can always been learnt by the actions of others.

It was a shock to see Pizza Express leave, it seemed that Pizza Express was a permanent resident. It was a symbol of success for Ramsgate, no longer a forgotten seaside town but one with distinction. 

A recognised premium brand residing within one of Ramsgates most beautiful and iconic buildings over looking Ramsgates Royal Harbour, it was perfectly placed for a sophisticated but comfortable restaurant. 

Why did it pull out? 

The answer to that lies more in the company itself rather than Ramsgate, but the undeniable truth is that it wasn't as profitable as many of its other locations and how could it be when the pool of possible customers is dictated by it's finate social diners which is then dictated by the weather and seasons. They closed it in 2020.

Local business man James Thomas who operates the neighbouring "Little Ships" and "Royal Harbour Hotel" piggy-backed off of the Pizza Express culinary heritage and renamed it "Travellers in Italty" because he inherited a pizza oven he joked. Could it have been possible to pick up where Pizza Express left off? Absolutely! Did they do it? No.

Reviews were frightfully mixed, but worse than what was written online was the locals word on the street. It was startlingly revealing that all was not right. 

Short cuts were noticed, portion sizes were insulting people's intelligence. 

Passion it seemed was a premium that was paid for here, and they paid the price for their lack of it. Following a long and bleak winter it was clear the wheels had fallen off.

Opportunity then for fresh ideas and plenty of passion and so Chuck and Blade are without doubt an interesting and exciting addition to Ramsgate.

Get in my belly!

Their business is the premium burger market. 

Burgers have come along way from your favourite fast food chains. They are now smashed and pounded, dirty and naughty and in principle I am a huge fan of filth.

Picture from their Rochester restaurant.

The result is a bit like what Nandos is to KFC, it's the same boat but totally different gravy. It's saucier, mature, it's a bit posh but dirty. It's definitely somewhere to take your first girlfriend for a date.

So off the bat I will be controversial. I wonder if this place is a little more than the owners can chew? 

I don't say that because they are not experienced or able, and I would be the first to shake their hands humbly in recognition of their passion and tenacity to have taken this idea and made it a reality. 

Hear me out on this, my point lies with where I think Pizza Express was popular and successful in this building will not be the same result for everyone else. 

Pizza Express made it delightfully acceptable to enjoy a glass of crisp wine absorbing the sunshine and views to the harbour whilst grazing on a beautifully crafted Italian style pizza. A place to come for any occasion, but crucially it exemplified what it was to enjoy a premium product.

Burgers are burgers no matter how you smash them or gloss their buns, they just do not have that same finesse.

The market for craft burgers is strong. In the last 10 years or so there has been a huge rise in premium burger chains, read this article from 2015 to find out more.

A premium burger chain has dipped their wick in here before. Do you recall Five Guys at Westwood Cross? Nor do I really but it was in there for a short while. It came to a premature end. Should have taken the blue pill.

Burgers remain one of the most appreciated snacks or meals in the western hemisphere and because of this there will always be a constant battle to create something better and therefore the entry point product for many pop up entrepreneurs. 

I wrote about @dirteefeast just last month which is the brain child of a passionate local chef very much in the same theme but benefits from an equally passionate takeaway customer base, and they are not alone either. 

There are a few local players with fantastic reputations all selling premium smash burgers, so is having a premium positioned restaurant going to prove the difference for Chuck and Blade?

Let's take a look at what they are all about:

They don't muck around do they? 

It is an impactful selection of incredible sounding grub, and you are not human if you are not forming an orderly queue to be the first to try tomorrow...  (unless you are a vegan) but...

After reviewing Chuck and Blades delicious sounding menu I am not sure they have selected the right venue.

To justify this opinion I can start with by highlighting the access to the building. The entrance is around the corner and up a hill with fenced off pavements for much further than what you would want.  

I think this is important to remind yourself that most customers are going to be floating diners, they generally land where it is convenient. This is a place you really want to go to or you just don't bother making the effort.

You can't pull up outside and collect a takeaway and similarly a delivery service will not want to collect from there as it would be impossible to park close enough without risk of a parking ticket.

So people must really want to walk to you.

I can guarantee the following will happen. 

People will try it and love it, some will come twice or thrice because they adore it, but after that you are in the realms of a once in a while treat because let's face it, it is burger chicken and chips.

I had hoped (let's see) they were going to go for a Planet Hollywood vibe, a place to meet for eats with back ground beats, an alternative late night venue based around food. Certainly booze features heavily on the menu and who could resist a boozy shake?

Ask yourself which demographic are in the market for a delicious smash burger? Mainly young people with disposable cash? 

Ramsgate doesn't have a university which typically brings the younger customers, so who is going to fill these seats all day everyday?

Ramsgate isn't surrounded by a large town or homes especially when you understand that it sits on the coast so technically half of its radius is water.

Tourists come and yes Ramsgate is beautiful, but it's hell on earth when the wind blows and the rain falls... And no one ventures down there then.

Ramsgate needs to up its game to enable places like this to thrive.

Ramsgate needs to draw in people to it all year around. Even with ferries operating as they did 20/30 years ago that still never really brought enough visitors to lift the fortunes of local businesses. 

If I had my say I would permanently moor up a huge cruise ship like the Sunbourne in London and Gibraltar which provides instant 5 star facilities and along with it comes money from its visitors. Then a sealife centre providing a tourist attraction that people are happy to travel for miles to go to come rain or shine, and from that other small business will thrive.

I digress. The point being is that Ramsgate needs to play it's part to bring people here to provide a platform for business to flourish, and at the moment it's just like the shy kid at a party, it's got an idea what to do but it's watching everyone else get it on.

Back to Chuck and Blade...

So now I've gone through the gears of acknowledgement and praise,  caution and doom, I actually think this is going to work. 

I predict they are going to smash it at Ramsgate, not just their burgers! (Sorry!)

It's going to work because the people behind it are passionate trailblazers that have developed an incredible reputation upon their fantastic product which has propelled them into the premier league of the premium burger market. 

Reputation needs to be backed up with consistent quality and excellence and they are award winners at what they do... So it appears we are in capable hands indeed...

Plus the name Chuck and Blade is fucking awesome.

They open on Monday 24th of July. Give it a tap