Celebrity Chef, Mitch Tonks, has confirmed that he is still planning to open a new Rockfish restaurant in Sidmouth despite everything that has happened in the past year and taking part in a national campaign to give the hospitality sector a louder voice in Westminster.

A Sidmouth branch of Rockfish was approved by East Devon council early last year, with an opening planned for the autumn of 2020, however, with the ongoing issues with the coronavirus, everything has been delayed. Mitch Tonks has confirmed that the £1 million plan to turn the Old Drill all on the Esplanade into a new restaurant will very much go ahead.

Speaking to reporters at the Sidmouth Herald, he said: “Everything has been massively delayed, but it is still very much on the books and we are still committed. The priority at the moment has to be on reopening my current restaurants when restrictions allow.”

Not only are the team at Rockfish continuing with preparing the Sidmouth branch and working on getting the other restaurants up and running, they are also taking an active part in Seat at the Table, a campaign launched by the tourism and hospitality campaign which has been calling for a dedicated minister for the industry and a seat in the cabinet. You can find out more about the campaign and sign the petition online here.

We’ll keep you updated with the latest developments on the Sidmouth Rockfish.