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Described as one of the largest restaurant deals done in Edinburgh this year, the sale of Rollo Broughton St to a new operator was conducted completely off-market – and has since been kept under wraps while the incomers ‘got comfortable’ with the business and the clientele. Since confidentially taking charge in April of this year, Fabrice and Alison Bouteloup have been ‘quietly trading’ in the foodie hotspot neighbourhood under the branding established by the Rollo family – daughter Ailsa and parents George and Alison. Now that the new owners have settled in, the deal’s broker – the Restaurant Agency – has been authorised to announce the sale, and introduce the Bouteloups to Edinburgh. “For those who do not know them, they operated the popular Barley Bree Restaurant with Rooms in Muthill, Perthshire for 16 years before selling in July 2023,” said the Agency. “Fabrice, a chef from Mayenne in northern France, trained in France before moving to the UK in 1993 where he worked in Edinburgh’s then famed Howard Hotel’s Restaurant 36, with Andrew Radford at The Atrium, following on from working alongside Anthony Demetre, Michelin-starred chef in Putney Bridge, London. “Both he and Alison have a similar work ethic to the Rollo family, ensuring great food and service and returning customers remains their priority.” The Agency’s Alan Goldie elaborated: “As a result of their pedigree in Scotland to date we were delighted to secure the business for Fabrice and Alison off market, so much so they deliberately haven’t changed too much during their first six months of operation getting to know the staff, the customers and the menu. “They are now comfortable with the business, the setting and the customer base and are in a position to announce a re-branding in the coming months, once signage and Intellectual property rights are secured. Goldie added: “Fabrice and Alison Bouteloup set their sights on Edinburgh after selling their hotel + restaurant business in Muthill, and after much searching and discussion, The Restaurant Agency secured their interest by way of meeting them and holding their interest for a period of time until our clients – the Rollos – had made their decision to sell. “For all Rollo regulars we understand the format and menu has largely remain unaltered, all the popular offerings remain, whilst a freshly imagined Sunday Roast has made an appearance and there are some ongoing additions to the wine list and rest assured the same warm and friendly front of house team are there to greet customers old and new.” The Bouteloups will continue to use the Rollo branding for a few more months, but are planning a re-brand just before or just after Christmas, which will tap into their previous customer base from The Barley Bree in Perthshire. They said: “We look forward to continuing the success of this fabulous New Town location in Broughton Street under a new name, watch this space!” With Stuart Ralston taking over at Vinette (formerly Fhior) and Fred Berkmiller at L’Escargot Bleu, Gordon Craig at Taisteal and now Fabrice Bouteloup at Rollo then add to the mix the popularity of Nectar, Bistro Coco, Lucky Yu, The Olive Branch, The Broughton, The Basement, Eden’s Kitchen to name only a handful in this area then Broughton Street remains a “foodie hotspot” in Edinburgh’s East end.
