A BURGER restaurants boss has invested £35,000 as part of a huge refurbishment programme.

Raj Bhangal pumped the money into the Colchester Wimpy restaurant.

The restaurant, in High Street, continued to serve takeaways and offer home delivery throughout the lockdown period.

It has now reopened after a short closure for the refurbishment works.

Mr Bhangal, who is a franchisee, “The last few months have certainly been challenging.

“We felt this was exactly the right time to take advantage of a quieter period to carry out the refurbishment work, so we could be ready as diners return to the high street.

“Investing in the new branding is really exciting for us and we can’t wait to show it off.

"We know customers love Wimpy because they can sit down at a table and enjoy food freshly-cooked to order and served by a waiter or waitress, something that sets us apart from many of our competitors.”

Gazette:

The restaurants and its counterpart in Kings Lynn, which employ around 24 staff, have seen the introduction of Wimpy’s new branding with bright new colours, new seating and layout.

The Colchester restaurant has been in Raj’s family for the last 16 years.

The refurbishment, which has cost £35,000, has seen new counters, kitchen area and lighting.

There are also new tables and chairs capable of seating 70 diners inside and 20 outside on the pavement.

Social distancing measures, including hand sanitisers and screens have been put in place at the restaurant.

Gazette:

QR codes are available on tables for diners to scan in their orders, while staff also have access to face masks and gloves.

Raj and his father first became Wimpy franchisees in 1975 and he took on the Kings Lynn franchise in 2018.