A CHESTER city centre restaurant which closed suddenly this month is to be transformed into a Brazilian steakhouse.
Previously we reported that the Tomahawk Steakhouse restaurant on Newgate Street had closed its doors, six months after opening in September 2022.
A carefully worded sign on the entrance to the restaurant this week said the restaurant was closed "for the foreseeable future as Tomahawk".
Now it can be revealed owners Tomahawk Steakhouse Group are planning to convert the premises into sister brand, award-winning Rio Brazilian, after seeing how well Rio was received elsewhere in the UK.
The Chester venue will remain closed while the transformation takes place, with a reopening date planned for late May or early June.
Howard Eggleston, owner of the Tomahawk and RIO group, said: "Whilst Chester came with its challenges, we had a fantastic welcome to the city.
"After listening to customer feedback we do think the 120 cover site was likely too large for a Tomahawk, which is partly the reason as to why we made the decision to convert to Rio.
"The Tomahawk team have been to various locations around Chester looking for new sites, so we hope to have both brands in the city by the end of the year.
"Rio Warrington hitting number one on TripAdvisor for the whole of the Cheshire region has certainly given us confidence that this is the right decision at this time."
There is a statement on the company website explaining the conversion and also that gift vouchers will be honoured at the current Tomahawk and Rio sites or may be redeemed at the new Rio once open.
The new Rio venue will offer a traditional Brazilian Churrasco dining experience which would cater to all kinds of appetites.
It will be billed as an all-you-can-eat restaurant, where Rio’s specially trained gaucho chefs serve cuts of meat continuously carved at customers' tables in a traditional Rodizio style.
Diners are given a double-sided red and green card; turn it green-side up and the chefs will start to serve customers a selection of churrasco meats – and will continue to do so until they need a break, at which point they turn the card over to red for a breather.
An extensive salad bar will also be available, with a variety of food not just for vegetarians.
Rio will also offer a cocktail list filled with Brazilian twists and staff creations.
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