Dish Cult Meets: Dan O’Regan, BANK’s Founder

Dish Cult: What’s your background in hospitality and have you always wanted to work in this industry?

Dan O’Regan: My step into hospitality actually started with coffee. I was at uni in Bath when I was introduced to speciality coffee. I was blown away by how complex it could be, and that really kicked off my interest in great food and drink. I pursued a career in coffee and slowly became interested in anything and everything that could taste
delicious. The more I worked around great food and drink, the more passionate I got about sharing it with people and seeing their faces light up when they taste something really spectacular.

DC: Where did the name BANK come from?

DO’R: The restaurant is housed in an old Lloyds Bank building in South Bristol, so it felt appropriate to pay homage
to its previous life.

DC: How would you describe your restaurant to someone who’s never been before?

DO’R: During the day, we focus on serving brunch and speciality coffee. As we move into the evening, we move to a small plates menu designed for sharing, alongside a drinks list of seasonal cocktails, craft beer, and wine.

DC: What would you say makes your food and drink different from others?

DO’R: We don’t tend to stick to any particular cuisine when it comes to designing our menu. Instead, we aim to highlight seasonality and use produce that is at its very best. The result means you often get a super interesting and delicious fusion of cuisines, and more often than not, you’ll find a combination on the menu that you’ve never tried before. We think that really facilitates the moment I mentioned above, when you taste a dish or cocktail, and it just brings a smile to your face.

DC: Who are your influences, if any?

DO’R: There are so many people that I’ve taken inspiration from throughout my career, but anyone who is focused on serving exceptional food and drink and putting their team first has really got things figured out. If I had to choose one person though, I’d have to say Danny Meyer from the Union Square Hospitality Group.

DC: How did you come up with the menu?

DO’R: Every element of our offer, whether it’s the coffee we serve, the cocktail menu, or the food we cook, is all born out of collaboration from the entire team. I really firmly believe that brilliant ideas can come from anywhere, so we do our best to build a culture that allows people to voice their opinions openly, which always leads to better food and drinks on the menu. We have our General Manager, Paddy leading the drinks offer, and our Head Chef, Jack continuously developing our food offer.

DC: What’s the most popular order from your menu?

DO’R: Right now, we have two dishes on our evening menu that are neck and neck for most popular. The first is our Char Siu Monkish, Braised Fennel, Orange, and Turmeric. The second dish that’s contending for the top spot is our Smoked Cauliflower, Peanut Butter Ajo Blanco, and Green Harissa. It’s really cool to see a dish that’s vegan and gluten free as one of our best sellers. It feels like ‘free from’ dishes can often be overlooked, but this shows how they don’t need to be a compromise with quality and flavour.

DC: Have you spotted any new foodie trends?

DO’R: People are so much more conscious of provenance these days. I’ve noticed that more and more people really care about where their food comes from, and appreciate the amount of work that goes into producing really exceptional ingredients.

DC: Have you got any more plans to open up other locations? And are there any other cuisines that you’d like to branch into as well?

DO’R: Right now, we’re focused on building BANK and establishing a reputation within Bristol and further afield. Having said that, I’d definitely like to explore more venues in the future, but probably not in the sense of opening more of the same business. I really believe in opening venues that are right for the space and the market, so I try and stay dynamic when I look at new opportunities.

DC: If you can invite any three celebrities, dead or alive, to join you for a meal, who would they be and why?

DO’R: This is a tough one, I think I’d have to keep food and drink central to this. I’d have to invite Danny Meyer. I mentioned earlier that he’s a big influence with his restaurants, but he also founded
Shake Shack in the US, so it seems pretty fitting to share a burger with him. Next up would have to be Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr. Lyan. He’s got to be the world’s most innovative bartender, and I’m sure he’d whip up a few drinks for us to enjoy with our food. Finally, but definitely not least, I think Barack Obama would be amazing dinner company. I imagine he’s got some unbelievable stories.