AFTER meeting over a Las Vegas blackjack table more than five years ago, Hideout owners Simon Braun and his wife Goodie have used as much American inspiration as possible to bring a bit of something different to Taunton.

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Simon and Goodie, who is originally from the states, bought Hideout in May 2015. They were looking for their next project and Taunton drew them in. They discovered the building which they thought had a lot of potential and its prime town-centre location was enough for property-developer Simon to commit to a new business venture.

The building, which had a history of changing hands, has now been designed and kitted-out with American signs and displays, alongside a lovely sign offering people the chance to ‘hide away a while’.

Somerset County Gazette:

Mr Braun said: “The building’s history didn’t concern me. When we first saw it, it was awful, but I saw the potential in it.”

Simon and Goodie wanted to bring a high level of customer service to the restaurant, as they loved the American-style polite dinning experience people get across the pond.

Simon said: “They have extremely high standards of service, and that is something we wanted to adopt.

“Everything from talking to customers to the way the staff hold a glass is to a high standard. The staff come first here, and if you treat them well, then that will reflect onto the customers.”

The restaurant has no Wifi as it wants to encourage people to talk to one another and to engage in the excellent customer service instead of sitting in a social media bubble.

The menu changes frequently at Hideout as Simon says it is important to keep the restaurant evolving.

“I come up with ideas, and then if I like them and they work well then I tell them to the chefs and they go on the menu.

“The American foods are selling well, it gives us a variety that you can’t get anywhere else.”

The team at Hideout love hosting events, whether that is letting people hire out a room free of charge, or setting up a movie night with a popular flick projected onto a big screen.

Simon added: “We are becoming very popular now. People come from all over the country to see us, and it is great to see people coming back.”

Fresh and local deliveries are fundamental for the restaurant, as Simon believes doing it any other way would be taking the easy way out.

“We try to get as much local produce as possible, but it has to be good quality.

“Most of the items on the menu are homemade, we do that to ensure quality.

“It would be easy to get it cheaper but it wouldn’t be as good.”

Everyone is welcome at Hideout, including families and children, people on first dates or people celebrating special occasions and anniversaries.

The restaurant have a scheme which involves handing families with children a ‘candy corner’ voucher when they first come in the door, the parents can then promise the children some sweet treats if they behave themselves, or can take it away if they don’t.

Now, the team is getting ready to celebrate Christmas, and already have 900 people booked in for parties during the festive season.

This is triple the number of people attending parties last December.

“I am committed to this, and people seem to like us,” said Simon. “We are always open to suggestions and will take on negative feedback as our success is all based on word of mouth.”