A new restaurant and bar is set to breathe new life into an empty high street shop left vacant following huge cuts made by a national clothing chain.

Acordo Lounge will open next Wednesday at the former M&Co site, bolstering Deal's culinary offering and filling one of a number of unoccupied units in the town.

It will welcome its first customers just two weeks after The Fox - a new Mediterranean-style eatery - launched in the town’s Beach Street.

Upon news of Acordo's plans, residents had initially raised concerns the town already has “enough hooligans and drunken behaviour”.

But bosses say it will be a “family-friendly” venue and help reinvigorate the high street, which has “a number of vacant premises”.

Speaking earlier this year, operations manager Mark Bishop said: “We are really excited to move to Deal.

“It will bring a lot to the town.

“We are centred around families and local communities. If anybody wants to they can look at any of the other sites we have - our offer is not that of a rowdy pub.”

The site will be open seven days a week for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks.

Lounge bars are run by West Country-based café/bar group Loungers, which also owns another Kent site in Sittingbourne.

Gemma Irwin, community manager at the group, added: “We’re passionate about integrating genuinely into the communities we serve so we’re looking forward to meeting everyone and to playing our part at the heart of Deal’s food and drink scene.”

Meanwhile, a new Mediterranean-style restaurant and cafe offering a “laid back atmosphere” opened in the town last month.

It replaces Italian Salentinos.

Ruby Evans, marketing manager, says the team think they will be able to fill a gap in the market.

“We want it to be a chilled and cosy environment.

“People can have brunch during the day and enjoy cocktails in the lounge in the evening,” she said.

“We thought it would be something new to Deal and felt there was nowhere really that does this already.”

She added there is a courtyard out the back of the restaurant which she described as “trendy”: “We thought it would be quite different.

“We are right opposite the pier which is perfect for the Mediterranean vibe of the food.

“It is all perfect really.”

She added the team have worked long and hard on a menu which they thought would do well.

“There is always a bit of doubt but we spent a lot of time testing out new ideas and considering different options,” she said.

“Coming in as new owners, we wanted to change it as much as possible.”