Serving the Teesside Business Community | 23
Jack Hunter, 20, is the latest entrepreneur to open a restaurant at Navigation Point.
Navigation Pointers
All you need to know about Navigation Point:
• The Marina is home to nearly 500 boats and yachts, and a playground for those who love messing about on the water.
• Hartlepool’ s Maritime Experience is the honeypot attraction but the Marina is peppered with more than 400 apartments.
• There‘ s also 100,000 sq ft of offices and 300,000 sq ft of retail space.
• Navigation Point, close to the lock-gates, is the established entertainment quarter, boasting the highest concentration of restaurants in Hartlepool, offering cuisine’ s from around the world every day of the week.
• Mandale is offering an opportunity to join the 20 + thriving restaurants, cafes and bars along Navigation Point.
New kid on the block
Jack Hunter is the latest to open a restaurant at the thriving Navigation Point.
And aged just 20, he’ s the youngest entrepreneur to launch another exciting new eaterie at Hartlepool’ s bustling entertainment quarter.
After securing a £ 30,000 loan – and with a £ 20,000 helping hand from his dad, Kevin – he opened Hunter’ s Restaurant in February after a month-long refurbishment.
Hartlepool-born Hunter, who previously worked as a chef at the famous Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland as well as other local restaurants, said:“ I’ ve always wanted my own place, since I was young, and after returning home from Gleneagles I just decided I didn’ t want to work for other people.
“ There was a lot of work to do before I could even get the keys. I put a business plan together thanks to help from various friends and family to convince the bank, and thankfully we did.
“ A few years ago I wouldn’ t have even considered the Marina, but now it’ s booming. Navigation Point has been completely revamped, the full strip is just about full and the place is buzzing.”
Hunter’ s offers a range of modern British and a la carte food, all freshly-cooked on site, which includes homemade pastas and breads – they even churn their own butter and make their own ice cream!
“ I think you see a lot of the same menus, so it’ s nice to bring something a bit different,” added Hunter.
“ It is a big deal for me, there’ s a lot of responsibility, and I couldn’ t have done it without my dad. But I wouldn’ t have taken the plunge if I didn’ t think it would work.”
“ Navigation Point has been completely revamped, the full strip is just about full and the place is buzzing.”