Wagamama to open new Swansea restaurant on Wind Street

Japanese ramen bar-style restaurant Wagamama is to open their first Swansea restaurant at The City Gates on the corner of Wind Street and Victoria Road.

The restaurant chain is recruiting for staff, with posts being advertised for a General Manager paying £34,000 to £40,000 a year and for line chefs paying £9.60 an hour, with no previous kitchen experience necessary.

The premises used to be home to the popular American Italian chain Frankie and Benny’s. Parent company The Restaurant Group, one of the UK’s largest restaurant operators, also owns the Wagamama brand.

The Restaurant Group announced the permanent closure of 120 of its Frankie and Benny’s restaurants in the UK during the first coronavirus lockdown in April 2020.

At the time the company said that many sites were “no longer viable to trade and will remain closed permanently”, adding “The Covid-19 crisis has significantly impacted our ability to trade profitably, so we’ve taken the tough decision to close these restaurants now.”

The Swansea opening will mark Wagamama’s fifth Welsh restaurant, with other eateries in MacArthur Glen Designer Outlet in Bridgend, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Library and Friars Walk in Newport.

Swansea Bay News has contacted Wagamama for more information about the opening.

(Lead image: Gary Knight / Creative Commons)