A husband and wife team are planning to open a Californian-style restaurant in the heart of Faversham.

Steven Georgiou and Christina Ketchum Georgiou, both originally from the golden state, have their sights set on the former Saddlers steak house and Rum Bar in the town square.

Teaming up with local Faversham-based brewery Boutilliers, they want to turn the vacant Market Place premises into a ‘beer cafe’ offering Mexican food with a Californian twist.

The plans for the venue - which would be called California Cravings - have been lodged with Swale Borough Council and will be determined in the coming weeks.

A separate bid for the building was made earlier this year, with applicant Mustafa Jabarheil submitting proposals for a late-night pizza takeaway.

These plans caused uproar among residents, who blasted the proposed 11am until 2am opening hours. Despite the planning application remaining undecided, it is believed the project has been shelved.

Steven and Christina are therefore hopeful they can press ahead with their vision for the town centre location.

“We’re a husband and wife team from California, we’ve lived over here for about nine years and have been in Faversham for five,” Steven said.

“We want to be as respectful as we can to the historical building and we’re not going to change too much about it.

“Kent has about half a dozen Mexican restaurants but our menu is different - it’s Californian-style Mexican. It’s street food.

“If you’re in LA, you could get a burrito the size of your arm from a roadside truck for a tenner. So with California Cravings we have more stuff going on.”

The firm already has a presence in the town by running a delivery service. It previously had a base in a gazebo at Macknade but outgrew the site as the business demand grew.

Aside from Faversham, a successful permanent set-up is in operation in Ashford, running from the Coachworks complex in Dover Place.

Steven says the proposed restaurant in Market Place would offer a lunch menu and also a fine-dining experience

Craft beer off tap from Boutilliers, along with the brewery’s range of stock would also be available.

Boutilliers has been running in the town since 2016, producing a wide variety of beers.

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