A new pizza takeaway is set to open next to a busy fast-food drive-thru.

Fireaway Pizza will take over a new unit next to BP petrol station and McDonald’s in Whitfield, near Dover.

It has been built as part of the £1.5 million redevelopment of Whitfield Service Station which has also seen the Budgens supermarket expanded.

The pizza outlet will create at least 15 new jobs while the supermarket revamp has created five new positions.

The Budgens store now has bigger chillers and will be able to stock a wider range of products.

“We have taken it from a service station ‘essentials’ shop to a fully fledged supermarket,” explained managing director Kanagaratnam Rajaseelan.

The Fireaway outlet will open on Wednesday, July 26.

It will be open from 11am to midnight on weekdays and until 2am the following morning on Fridays and Saturdays.

Planning permission was granted in July last year despite concerns over inadequate parking in the already congested area.

However 22 new parking spaces will be created for Fireaway and Budgens customers only.

It is understood these will be provided in the nearby car wash.

The brand already has 12 stores in Kent making the new store at Whitfield the 13th.

The first Fireaway Pizza opened in 2016 by Italian Mario Aleppo who wanted to bring better pizza to the UK.

It uses a recipe from Mr Aleppo’s Nonna brought over from the Amalfi Coast.

As well as traditional topping, it also offers Nutella pizzas and Vegan options.

Five years later, it now has more than 150 branches across the country.

Last year, McDonald’s cut the number of parking spaces at the restaurant in Sandwich Road while expanding the drive-thru.

At the time Mr Rajaseelan feared it would cause more traffic problems.

The fast-food chain closed for the refit in May 2022 which also saw refurbishments to its entrance for delivery drivers so walk in customers could be separated from them.

It was one of the first 200 stores across the county to undergo the changes.