£700,000 Peterborough city centre restaurant announces opening date

Restaurateur Paul Sharma and his team had spent more than two months - and £700,000 - to spectacularly fit out of 2020 World Buffet on New Road in the city centre.

More than 20 staff had been recruited for the March 19 opening - only to be shut down by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement the following day designed to help stop the spread of the disease in pubs, clubs and restaurants.

Paul and the team were understandably devastated but vowed to bounce back once they were satisfied the venue - serving food from India and Nepal,Japan, China, Thailand and Italy- could do so safely.

That time has come and the restaurant, which breathed new life into the former Jimmy’s World Grill and Bar, will be reopening on Wednesday, July 29.

The food offering remains the same but the most noticeable difference will be the Perspex screens across the restaurant and all the hygiene compliances - including sanitiser stations, said Paul.

“A one-way system will be implemented and it will be the chefs who will serve the food,” he said.

“Also we will have hot bain Maries that will run around the restaurant. It will be like ‘aeroplane style’ of serving, an added feature, and that is aimed at the safety of customers.”

The restaurant will open seven days a week for lunch from Monday to Thursday and all day Friday to Sunday.

Booking is essential for the record keeping and prepayment of the food is required at the counter on entering, to help keep staff/customer contact to a minimum.