Say Hello to Whitley Bay's Newest Cafe-Wine Bar
Living North catches up with Flock owner Jon Sibley
You may not know his name, but you’ve definitely heard of his venues. Beginning with The Town Mouse nearly a decade ago, Jon has since gone on to open popular neighbourhood cocktail and wine hangout House in Heaton, and opened small plates restaurant and wine bar Assemble last year. Each venue has offered something unique, yet the underlying philosophy has remained the same – keep it local and keep it simple.
Flock is Jon and wife Sophie’s newest opening, and when we catch up, the final pieces are falling into place. With a prime spot on Park View Jon knew it was the perfect location for family-forward Flock. Each new venue has been a reflection of where Jon is in his life, and Flock is no exception.
‘The Mouse had been a good success. Coming out of the back of Covid, we really wanted to create something new and exciting. We’d seen such interesting small natural wine producers coming out of Europe, so that’s when we opened House,’ he explains. ‘The day we got the keys to House was the day that me and my wife brought our son out of hospital when he was born. With House and Assemble’s development, we both tried to be full-time parents, so we’ve very much been in the background. My wife’s just left working at Northumbria University and now felt like a nice opportunity, with the fourth venue, to get back behind the bar and really create something special as a family venture.’
Each of Jon’s venues has become a hub for the local community, and he wants the same for Flock. ‘They’ve created these wonderful little communities. Largely it’s because we’ve got a really great team operating in them. I’m jealous! I wanted to create a place where I could work and create that sort of community again.’
The response from other local businesses has been a source of joy in the lead up to opening Flock. ‘It’s been phenomenal. It’s been really lovely having people pop in. A lot of local businesses have been really welcoming,’ Jon says. ‘I think the great thing about Whitley Bay is it’s constantly busy, and there’s definitely room for everybody. It is a proudly independent place and I think that’s its attraction.’
When envisaging Flock, Jon has borrowed elements from The Mouse, House and Assemble. ‘It’s aimed at lunchtime to late afternoon, and hopefully families. Mums and dads also deserve a glass of wine!’ he laughs. ‘With my son we try to avoid the chicken nuggets and chips route and I want people to be able to bring their children in to Flock and have them try something with their parents. I’m a bit sick of when you go somewhere and you can have something amazing to eat, but it’s boring for your children.’
A full breakdown of the menu is still under wraps. I suggest small plates (a current favourite, if overused, phrase in the hospitality world) and he laughs again. ‘I was never too sure about the term small plates,’ he says. ‘I loved The Magic Hat [in Newcastle]. It was a great place to take Elliot. Their thing used to be three breakfast options, three lunch options, and what I loved about that is you can bring in stuff which is maybe slightly challenging. Interesting things, but things you can share… it is small plates, isn’t it?’
Seeing the SOKU team at work in the Assemble kitchen has helped Jon learn how to structure a menu, and get the most of out produce, which he will be souring as locally as possible. ‘I genuinely think they’re producing the best food in Newcastle at the moment,’ he says. ‘There’ll be things changing monthly, and there’ll be some things that stay. Whitley Bay has got some amazing producers. By the Bay Mushroom Co. supplies Assemble and he brings in mushrooms I’ve never seen before.’
Jon also mentions the proximity of the sea as a source of inspiration for the menu. ‘There’s certainly nothing wrong with your classic avocado on toast, but maybe something a little bit more challenging,’ he says. ‘There’s so much fish and at Assemble we get through so many oysters. We’re calling it a small, considered menu.’ Here again, Jon falls back on tried and tested terms from his years in the hospitality world. ‘I really don’t want to say we do things a little differently because that’s such a cliché. All I do is talk in clichés!’
Currently, in hospitality, the small details can make or break a new business, and although Jon is hesitant to dive too deeply into the topic, his approach to succeeding has been to keep things tight, intentional and locally driven. ‘I think the key to things these days is keeping things small – two of my venues are in basements. You need to find those little locations that have been neglected but you can turn into something special,’ he says. ‘You have to be niche these days as well. You have to really drill down into what your offering is, and understand who you’re offering that to.
‘It’s things like using local designers. There’s a couple of new venues opening up that have clearly used AI to design everything. Alex from Mango Signs just did our signage. In this day and age, people hopefully recognise authenticity. There’s been such a reaction to AI-created stuff – it’s lazy and if you’re lazy in that then you’ll be lazy in other things as well. Using local people for their skills is expensive, but it’s definitely the right thing to do.’
Jon and Sophie are currently aiming for an early June opening date, and they can’t wait to welcome their first guests. ‘People think it’s probably a joke, especially when you’re opening your fourth venue, but I genuinely don’t do this to make money. I do this because I want my venues to be the best at what we do.’
