:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61517343/Usain_Bolt_restaurant_and_bar_Tracks___Records_launches_in_UK_copy.0.jpg)
Triple Olympic gold medalist and fastest man in history Usain Bolt has announced that he will open a new Jamaican bar, restaurant, and “late lounge,” called Tracks & Records, on Middlesex Street in east London on Wednesday 10 October. It wants to offer “an authentic slice of Jamaica in the heart of the capital,” a short walk from Liverpool Street station in the heart of the City.
It appears that the plans first mooted last August — when Bolt’s company was reported to be planning a franchise agreement between Franjam and Casual Dining Group — have changed a little.
In the restaurant announced this morning, Bolt and his partners in this venture — Kingston Live Entertainment (KLE) — will serve classic Jamaican dishes, “Bolt’s favourites,” no less, such as jerk chicken and pork, and fried fish and bammy (cassava flatbread.)
The space — split across two floors, including a bar, dancefloor and club — will be decked out in Bolt’s sports memorabilia and a showcase live reggae and dub sets from some of the leading DJs on the U.K. circuit.
The owners say the rum bar will offer a collection of over 150 global rums, with 100 coming from Jamaica.
About the London opening, Bolt said: “London is my second home and a place very close to my heart — so it’s brilliant to be sharing a taste of Jamaica in the capital.” While Gary Matalon of KLE Group, said: “After much success with our Track & Records restaurants, we’re delighted to be opening in the U.K.”
It is the first outpost of Tracks & Records in the U.K.; with three other sites already operating in Kingston, Ocho Rios, and Montego Bay.
The space will be open from 11am until midnight Monday to Wednesday; until 1am Thursday to Saturday and from 10am to 9.30pm on Sunday.
More soon.