Global fast food chain to open its first York branch in empty shop
An international fast food chain is to open its first branch in York, by converting one of the city’s biggest empty shops.
German Doner Kebab wants to open in the old BrightHouse building in Piccadilly, next to the Merchant Adventurer’s Hall grounds.
The move is part of a major expansion by the franchise chain, which announced earlier this year that it was hoping to open 47 new restaurants in the UK, creating 1,800 jobs.
The plans for the new branch in Piccadilly would create 30 roles, 15 full-time and 15 part-time. The building has been empty snice the start of the pandemic, when BrightHouse went into administration.
German Doner Kebab was founded in 1989 in Berlin, and now has 52 restaurants in the UK as well as others in Canada, Ireland, Saudia Arabia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the USA. It describes itself as “a fast food retailer that has created a healthy and nutritionally balanced approach to traditional kebabs”.
The company has submitted planning applications to City of York Council for the Piccadilly site. Planning applications have also been submitted in recent weeks in Basingstoke, Middlesbrough and Worcester, and other towns and cities covered by the expansion plans include Manchester, Huddersfield, Stockport, Newcastle, London, Blackburn, Glasgow and Stirling.
Game-changing
Announcing the proposals earlier this year, chief executive Imran Sayeed told the media: “We have been extremely agile during the pandemic and there continues to be a huge demand for our game-changing kebabs.
“It is therefore very exciting to be announcing these latest growth plans for the next 12 months as we build on the great momentum we delivered during 2020.
“Our plans will almost double our portfolio and create in the region of 1,800 jobs as we continue to disrupt the market space and maintain our mission of building the fast-casual brand of the future.”
The York investment is the latest in a continuing wave of new restaurant and café plans for the city. Other imminent additions include the new Vitoria Italian restaurant in Coppergate, Mariachi Tacos on the corner of Coney Street and New Street, Rosa’s Thai in Coney Street, and a new culture café on The Stonebow.