A POPULAR Italian restaurant in Christchurch is preparing to reopen its doors to customers.
The La Mamma restaurant will open on its new site at 12 p.m. on Wednesday September 28.
It takes months of hard work to bring the beloved restaurant back to town.
James Roberts, one of the businessmen taking on La Mamma, said: “There has been a big hole in the shape of La Mamma in Christchurch.
“It’s very exciting to make it, but also nerve-wracking. We fully appreciate that this is a chunky pair of slip-on shoes.
La Mamma opened in Bridge Street in 1974 and quickly became a popular restaurant within the community, but in October last year owner John Mirco made the “difficult decision” to retire and close the restaurant.
It was James, alongside his business partners Andrew and Kenny, who pledged to bring La Mamma back to life and reopen it in a new location just a two-minute walk down the road.
James said: “The Mammas have been a long-standing part of the Christchurch community.
“We thought it would be a great idea to rejuvenate the name, but not just the name, the whole philosophy and concept, to include brining in the same chefs, the same menu – everything that has been loved and whose we remember during the 45 years that La Maman ran.
“John did an amazing job with La Mamma. I’m very happy to say that he remains our retired consultant, and what he brings is truly invaluable. »
Guests dining at La Mamma from Wednesday can expect a slightly larger building, with spacious indoor and outdoor seating and Italian-themed decorations.
James said: ‘It’s a different building in that the old La Mamma was a converted Georgian house, and it’s a grade 2 listed building that predates the old La Mamma building by far .
“We had to take into account that the building has a different character than La Mamma, but we tried to introduce as many Italian elements as possible.”
The new La Mamma opens at 7-9 Purewell, Christchurch, BH23 1EH.
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