HOSPITALITY
TIE pilot reserve – Nigel Jukes from the North East Legion .
We ’ ve decided to make every Thursday a ‘ Hangar 7 Thursday ’ where we bring in some Legion members to interact with diners and , in return , they have a bucket collection for their chosen charities .”
it a bit different so you could come back every few weeks and probably see different people .
“ You must book to be sure of a place , though . We accept walk-ins if there ’ s space , but that ’ s not guaranteed , so if you ’ re going to turn up with kids especially , you must book – don ’ t risk disappointment .”
Alan says the feedback for Hangar 7 Thursdays has been “ really good ”. He said : “ Families love it , but we ’ re also getting a lot of 25-40 year-olds who come in just because they want to see them too . May 4th , Star Wars Day , was massive for us – it was heaving all day and all night .”
On the night Tees Business visited , a Mandalorian called Paz Vizsla – or Bradley Calvert in real life – was joined by Stormtrooper Leland Wedgewood and TIE pilot reserve Nigel Jukes , a 15-year Legion veteran . Among those enjoying the Star Wars treatment were the Cabellero family – dad Angel , mum Cristina , sons Leo and Oscar and daughter Lisa , a Middlesbrough Roller Hockey player celebrating her 13th birthday .
Nigel said : “ We ’ re a group of Star Wars enthusiasts who use our costumes for charity purposes . It ’ s a new spin on charity collections and a different aspect to
Star bars – A Mandalorian and a Stormtrooper at the Hangar 7 bar .
engagement . People have photos with us , we interact with the public and we have a collection bucket too .
“ I know Sean through the Legion and he asked me for my input for certain bits and bobs here , so it ’ s lovely to have been involved . It ’ s the nearest thing to Galaxy ’ s Edge ( a Star Wars theme park ) I ’ m going to get – and it ’ s a bit like working for Lucas because you ’ re making design decisions .”
And Nigel , who got the Star Wars bug when seeing the first film in the franchise at the Hartlepool Odeon back in 1977 , said they can often attend several events in a weekend .
He added : “ If a charity comes to us and puts a bucket in our hands , we ’ re happy to help . And it ’ s great to have a regular slot somewhere like this , which is brilliant for photos .”
Warehouse Kitchen and Bar opened 18 months ago , with Hangar 7 welcoming its first customers five months ago . It has around 50 staff – a mix of full and parttime – including three apprentices .
Word is spreading internationally , too . Alan explained : “ We had people from
Germany in the other week . They were here on holiday but when we asked how they knew about us , they said ‘ oh , you ’ re massive in Germany ’. Their family had seen it on TikTok .”
Both Warehouse floors can be hired for anything from birthday parties to larger business events , networking groups or social gatherings .
And if you fancy a good helping of laughs , Hangar 7 is used on the first Friday of every month for Shoe Cake Comedy ’ s Warehouse Comedy Club .
Phil Allan-Smith , of Shoe Cake Comedy , said : “ We ’ ve been running monthly comedy events at The Warehouse since December 2022 .
“ The atmosphere is brilliant and is even better now we ’ ve moved upstairs to Hangar 7 . A lot of top comedians are keen to play the venue and we ’ ve got some amazing acts booked in from now until Christmas , both stand-up and improv comedy shows .”
Alan added : “ We ’ re really pleased with how things are going and nights like Hangar 7 Thursdays and the comedy nights just add an extra dimension .”
To keep up to date with what ’ s on at the Warehouse Kitchen and Bar , check its regularly updated social media channels .
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