Plans have been unveiled to convert a former Californian-inspired restaurant into a chicken takeaway shop.

Husband and wife team Steven Georgiou and Christina Ketchum Georgiou made the difficult decision earlier this year to shut The Saddlers in Faversham after costs rose "exponentially".

They launched California Cravings as a hobby, serving up grub at farmers’ markets and food festivals before they teamed up with craft brewery Boutilliers to launch the restaurant in 2021.

The duo turned the formerly vacant Market Place premises into a ‘beer cafe’ offering Mexican food with a Californian twist and kept the original name of the former steakhouse.

But the restaurant closed its doors in January and now plans have been revived to change the use to a restaurant and takeaway.

A new eatery at the Grade II*-listed site will be called Kabul Chicken House.

Owners are proposing to relocate the first-floor kitchen and install an extraction fan and grills downstairs.

Applications have been submitted to Swale Borough Council for new signage but exact details of the type of business which will operate there other than its name have not been confirmed in the documents.

“Following planning approval for the change of use to a restaurant/takeaway in November 2021, the applicant proposes to relocate the first-floor kitchen to the ground floor to make business operations and customer service more efficient,” planning documents reveal.

“There is no proposal to change any of the fabric of the building itself.”

The application has been submitted by Mustafa Jabarheil, who submitted proposals in 2021 for a late-night pizza takeaway at the site.

But it was blasted as “highly inappropriate” for the area and being out of keeping with the historic setting.

Planning permission was granted but Mr and Mrs Georgiou moved in to open their Californian-inspired business.

The application added: “We are of the consideration that the proposals outlined in this document will not harm 1 Market Place or the surrounding properties in terms of disturbance to the historic fabric of the dwelling.

“The proposal represents a desire to repair and care for the building, in line with local planning policies.

“The relocation of this kitchen will significantly contribute to the success of continued trading.

“It will ensure this prominent building will not stand vacant and bring additional services and diversity to the community of Faversham.

“The scheme is therefore beneficial and we hope it will receive the full support of Swale Borough Council.”

In a Facebook post on a Faversham residents’ group, the plans have divided locals.

‘The proposal represents a desire to repair and care for the building...’

An anonymous user commented: “This is just what Faversham does not need: another takeaway, more litter.

“Let us hope enough people object and that it does not get approved by the council.”

Many comments assumed the new eatery will serve kebabs, but this has not been confirmed.

Kerry Davies said: “Kebabs are not my sort of thing but it would be better to see a kebab shop open than an empty shop.”

Liz Jeffery commented: “I would like to see it open again. It is really sad to have such an important building empty.”

But others were not convinced by the plans.

Anna Maria Bales said: “I would love to see an authentic Thai or Nepalese restaurant.

“But today’s costs mean the food usually gets degraded into poor quality offerings or the costs become prohibitive.

“It is a tough environment, but would Middle Eastern veggie offerings be popular?”

Speaking ahead of the closure in January, Christina Ketchum Georgiou said she noticed people feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis.

"We ended December at a loss but we needed it to end well so we could get through January and February," she said.

"The situation wasn’t going to change any time soon so we didn’t want to get in a situation where we have staff working but we struggle to pay them, which was very possible in January.

"The cost of everything we use has gone up exponentially and our rent was always high.

"With an old building, that costs money all the time. We always liked this building as it’s so cool and we wanted to take care of it.

"We planned to do restorative work when we first started, which we did, and we’ve been working on the building since we moved in.

"It sat empty and neglected for a few years, so there was a lot to do and more than we expected, including the electric, plumbing and woodwork."

She says the couple, who are both originally from the Golden State, started California Cravings about four years ago as a hobby.

After the lockdown started, they began making ready meals in their kitchen and delivering them, before doing pop-up kitchens at places such as Macknade in Faversham and Coachworks in Ashford.

KentOnline has attempted to contact the owner and planning agents for Kabul Chicken House.