VIDEO: New restaurant planned for Worthing

Fernandos will serve Mediterranean-style chicken and Italian dishes on the former site of the Tokyo 31 bar in Chatsworth Road.

The restaurant space has been leased to businessman Alex Akin, from Bognor Regis.

He said he hoped the restaurant would be open by June.

Planning applications for a sign at the front of the building and a fire exit at the back are being submitted to Worthing Borough Council.

The works that will also be carried out include the installation of a £10,000 extraction fan system for the kitchen and new toilets.

Mr Akin, 37, owns several food suppliers across the county, including a butchers and greengrocers shop in East Preston and a fishmongers in Bognor. He said: “This will be a high class restaurant which will use all our own locally-sourced produce.”

Fernandos will be below the One club and next door to the Retro bar.

Manager James Lanz, from Offington Drive, Broadwater, who partly owns the building, said it will be a great addition to the town.

“Having a restaurant here next to a bar and club means that in the evenings we’ve got the full package.”

The second and third floors of the site, which has been renamed the Mill Building due to its 19th century heritage, is being made into office space.

James, 35, added: “Once we have the offices fully let, it will give staff members somewhere to grab a bite to eat nearby during the day.”

This coincides with a boom in new restaurants in the town, according to Worthing town centre manager Sharon Clarke. She said: “Because of the rise of online retail, town centres are all about social shopping now – people meet for lunch or coffee and while they’re here they have a look around.

“More people are eating out in Worthing than ever. There’s a huge demand for property in Worthing at the moment and that’s from the food and drink sector.”

Plans have also been submitted to add several big-chain restaurants to The Montague Centre in Worthing.

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