by Ollie Heppenstall
The owner of a new gin and rum bar said he has been overwhelmed with business after opening its doors for the first time last month.
Nirad Solanki, owner of the Braunstone Gate-based bar, The Dog House, which opened on Friday, September 28, said: “Business has been overwhelming so far.
“Things have been a little bit slower in the day, of course, but I’m confident things will start to pick up before long.
“I think what this place does a bit better than everyone else is that it’s a bit different to a lot of places in terms of what we offer – a lot of what we’ve got on tap I’ve been able to arrange through contacts in the Czech Republic, and the variety of gins we have is staggering.
“We opened around 80 separate bottles in the last week alone, the width and breadth of what we stock is a real strength of ours.”
The Dog House is situated on Braunstone Gate in what used to be the Loaf building, and can boast 138 gins and rums in addition to a wide selection of lagers and ales on tap including Staropramen, Pilsner and Blue Moon.
Mr Solanki continued: “It was my idea to open a place somewhere near Leicester city centre, and I originally wanted the place next door but I was £2,000 off.
“Fortunately this place was in the same location and empty, and I decided to contact the land registry to find out who owned it – I made him an offer, and started renovating not long after. Because I bought the place outright, I can always rent it out if I find business isn’t quite as brisk as I expect.
“The name comes from the fact that I own a few other places throughout Leicestershire. I was working between 120 and 130 hours a week and I was always in the doghouse with my wife. I thought why not start there if I’m only going to end up there anyway.”
There are plans to begin hosting live music events once a month, and Mr Solanki didn’t rule out serving food either.
“We left the kitchen as we’ve found it, and if we find there’s a demand for food then we have the capacity to meet that demand.”
The Dog House opens its doors seven days a week from 3pm.
