This positive move comes amid ongoing anger over how Govt is taxing the hospitality sector
A major new social venue is opening in the Black Country following the £500,000 conversion and refit of a former industrial site.
Dockworks Waterfront, on the canalside in Brierley Hill, Dudley, will open at midday on Friday, February 27, as Digbeth Dining Club’s latest food and events venue.
The 7,000 square foot former steelworks site, which has stood empty for 15 years, will have a combined capacity of 650.
DDC said its Dockworks Waterfront development will feature a crescent-shaped food trader court and seating “set against the post-industrial wharf-side charm of Dudley Canal Marina.”
‘Good people, good food, good times’
Jack Brabant, co-founder and director of DDC, said: “Dockworks means so much more to us than opening a new venue. It’s about us bringing back a long-forgotten but important site and filling it with good food, good people and good times.
“We’re also focused on making the most of this opportunity to redefine how a destination venue can be designed for, and with, the community it serves.
“DDC has always sought to push creative boundaries, and this project has allowed us the space to bring our energy and expertise to the waterfront in a really exciting way
“We encourage all fans of casual dining and social experiences to join us and help us to shape this new community venue.”
‘Vote of confidence in the Black Country’ – MP
Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge and an advocate for hospitality in the region, said: “The arrival of Dockworks Waterfront represents a major vote of confidence in the Black Country, as well as a clear sign that hospitality businesses are still at the heart of our communities.
“The social, economic, and cultural benefits of investment in local dining, leisure and NTE are well proven.
“We hope this latest addition to Dudley’s business ecosystem acts as a ‘game-changing’ catalyst, attracting more visitors, boosting our vibrant nightlife, and highlighting the West Midlands as an attractive place to live, work, and visit.”
Dockworks Waterfront will open at 1200 on Friday 27 February 2026.
Ongoing anger over business rates
This positive move comes amid ongoing disquiet over the Government’s taxation of hospitality sector businesses.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s touted £300 million support package for pubs was last week branded “a last-minute bandage on a bleeding sector” by hospitality industry leaders.
Lyle Bignon, Birmingham’s night-time economy ambassador, reacted with fury, calling it a “discriminatory half-measure that leaves whole swathes of the hospitality and night-time economy industries out in the cold.”
His anger was echoed by Alex Fox, CEO of the National Caterers Association, who said “singling out pubs for rates support” was “unfair and reckless.”
But despite these headwinds, Digbeth Dining Club is forging ahead. We salute them and wish them well.
