The first-ever drive-thru Chinese takeaway is set to open in the north west this week. And its owners hope it could fast become "the McDonalds of Asian cuisine" with plans to rapidly expand to new sites soon - including Manchester.
Wiyo - which stands for ‘what is your order’ - has announced its first restaurant will open in Warrington from this weekend. Customers will be able to drive up to the venue and purchase hot food from the comfort of their vehicles every evening between 5pm to 9pm.
The menu at its outlet will include classics like shredded chilli beef, salt and pepper chicken and its "house special chicken". The mains can be bought as part of a box deal with either rice or fries for £7.
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Co-owner Leon Freeman spent five years developing the concept with his business partners and said he hoped to make Chinese food “more convenient for the masses”. It follows on from the launch of what was billed as the "first of its kind" Indian drive-thru restaurant Chaiiwalla which opened in Bolton in January to much excitement.
Wiyo boss Leon said: "The aim was to make Chinese takeaway food quicker and more convenient for the masses. Considering how popular Chinese food is in England, we were confused why no one had developed the concept before now.
"The goal is to make Wiyo the McDonald’s of the Chinese fast food industry. We’re already looking at franchises in Manchester, Liverpool, Essex and hope to make this national."
Leon said he and his co-owner Sally Gallagher and Dominic Freeman had come up with the idea for the restaurant around a kitchen table in 2018. They then developed their menu with a leading Chinese chef before finding the perfect site for their drive-thru business four years later.
Diners get a choice of ordering three different meal options - with a single dish and drink costing £7, two and a drink priced at £9, and three with a drink going for £11. They can also opt for the ‘salt + pepper sub’, priced at £11, where chicken is layered on a roll with crispy lettuce, onions and Wiyo’s house special soy mayonnaise.
The outlet also offers a series of side dishes, such as battered spring rolls and chicken nuggets, costing between £3 to £4. Some lucky punters managed to get their hands on the restaurant's food early when it opened its hatch last weekend during a ‘soft launch’ with early reviews giving it a thumbs up.
Despite the rave reviews, Leon said his plan was almost “derailed” in January when he needed to have his leg amputated.
He said a cut, which he picked up in the shower, became infected with sepsis and he was forced to run the burgeoning business from his hospital bed.
He said: “By the time I was hospitalised there was no other option but to amputate my leg. I was in hospital for two months.
“We continued working from my hospital bed and four months after coming out of hospital we have finally completed the project.”
The restaurant isn’t the first in the UK to develop a Chinese drive-thru concept, with those honours going to Waka Asian Fusion, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. But it is thought to be the first in England when it opens off Bridge Foot in Warrington.
Wiyo will officially open on Saturday, June 17, and from then will be open seven days per week between 5pm to 9pm.
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