Jongleurs forms comedy bar link with Regent Inns

Comedy club Jongleurs and pub chain Regent Inns have formed a joint venue company that will open six comedy bars across the country in the next 12 months.

The bars will be jointly branded Bar Risa – the Spanish for laugh – and Jongleurs. The name of the company the pairing have formed is Across the Miles. It is the first time a comedy venue has rolled out its brand nationwide.

The first site to open will be in Victoria Wharf in Bow, London at the start of August. Other sites are due to open in Leicester, Nottingham, Oxford, Watford and Southampton.

Bar Risa will be open seven days a week and apart from alcohol it will serve an eclectic mix of food, including Italian, Mexican, French, Thai, American, and British cuisine. The Jongleurs part of the venue will be open on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sue Atkins, marketing manager of Regent Inns, says: “By combining Jongleurs Comedy Club with Bar Risa, we are offering residents and visitors to the area a great entertainment package.”

In January, Regent Inns, which has just over 80 sites across the country, reported pre-tax profits of 6m.

Jongleurs, which opened in 1980, has provided a platform for the early careers of stars like Jack Dee and Rory Bremner.