The founder of the Jimmy Chung’s Chinese buffet chain is planning a Dundee Oriental restaurant to rival brands like Wagamama and Yo! Sushi.
Chung Wong hopes to move into the former KFC and Giza outlet at 1A High Street.
It would be his first foray into Dundee since Jimmy Chung’s opened on Whitehall Street several years ago.
That site is now home to another buffet restaurant.
Mr Wong says the idea of returning to Dundee came after he visited his son, who is studying in the city.
He told The Courier: “We wanted to go for a bowl of noodles and we couldn’t find anywhere in the centre to sit in and have a meal.
“It gave me the idea for maybe having somewhere people can go for a sit-down meal.”
Buffet model ‘not suitable any more’
Aberdeen-based Mr Wong, who has lodged a building warrant with Dundee City Council for the site, says the new restaurant would be “completely different” from Jimmy Chung’s.
He said: “It will be an Oriental restaurant but not in the buffet style.
“Nowadays, with rising costs and the amount of food that gets wasted, I don’t think the buffet model is suitable any more.
“I think it’s a good location. We have always had a great response with Dundonians, everyone has been really friendly and welcoming to us.
“I feel that there’s a disappointing selection of options for the public in the city centre.
“There are popular brands like Wagamama and Yo! Sushi that haven’t opened a branch in Dundee, which means that people have to travel up to an hour to visit these places.
“If you want a bowl of noodles, you don’t know where to go. There’s a big population in Dundee, you get a lot of students arriving to study too.”
No opening date for the restaurant has yet been confirmed.
Several other restaurants planned for Dundee
It comes as Dundee city centre has already welcomed several new restaurants in recent months, including a Greek-inspired eatery on Nethergate and a west African grill house on Murraygate.
US chain Taco Bell is also planning a move into Reform Street.
Elsewhere in the city, the likes of Tim Horton’s, Greggs and Burger King are planning to open new takeaway outlets.
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