Maeme’s piri-piri chicken takeaway plans for Inverness city centre move step closer
Proposals for a new piri-piri chicken restaurant takeaway in the heart of Inverness are a step nearer reality after the latest planning application was lodged.
The takeaway chain Maeme’s is eyeing up a new outlet in Unit 4 of the Eastgate Centre, which sits next to the shopping mall’s Eastgate entrance.
News that the chain - which operates from more than a dozen UK locations including Aberdeen - is looking to expand into Inverness first emerged back in April, when plans to erect the brand’s fascia signs at the unit were first lodged.
The new application relates to a ‘change of use’ to enable the ground-floor site - a vacant unit that once housed Game - to operate as a takeaway instead of a retail shop.
The plans also outline some of the details of the new outlet. Once open it will have 20 seats inside, with a further eight outside the eatery but inside the entrance of the shopping centre.
A kitchen ventilation system will also be installed to enable the site to operate as a takeaway.
Speaking to the Inverness Courier back in April, a spokesperson for Maeme’s said the new eatery is expected to create somewhere between seven and nine jobs.
There is no set opening date as of yet, although Maeme’s website list it as “open soon”.
Commenting on the proposals back in April, Eastgate Shopping Centre manager Chris Kershaw said the plans were good news for Inverness city centre. He said: “It’s absolutely good news. It will add something to the city centre. I don’t think we’ve got another piri-piri restaurant in the city centre itself which will be nice for those enjoying a night out.”