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The town centre venue of a once popular restaurant is set for a new lease of life.
The unit at The Mall, Maidstone, was formerly where Pizza Hut was located before the food chain announced last year it would be closing the branch permanently, amid the coronavirus health crisis.
Take a look inside the now empty store
Deep pan fans were given one final look around the stripped out building this week, in a video posted on social media which revealed the new plans for the venue.
Estate agency Knight Edmonds announced it will take over the site from the end of October, having outgrown its office on Knightrider Street.
Co-owners Sam Edmonds, 26, and 31-year-old Alex Knight toured the site.
The video shows an eerily empty former kitchen, which will be turned into an open plan office, as well as the derelict dining space where customers once would have tucked into the bottomless salad bar.
The Maidstone Pizza Hut branch was one of 29 across the UK the chain announced would be closing permanently last September, putting around 450 jobs at risk nationwide.
The Imperial Retail Park in Gravesend also shut down.
Mr Edmonds says he and Mr Knight cannot wait to move in and bring the site back to life.
The duo launched the firm last March and, despite the global crisis, it has prospered in the past 18 months.
Mr Edmonds said: “Alex and I had worked in various different estate agencies together over the last few years and we decided to launch Knight Edmonds last March - three weeks before the first lockdown, and we were left thinking ‘What have we done?’
“We have been working out of an office on Knightrider Street but now, we are looking to get that bit more presence.
“It is exciting and we just can’t wait for it all to be finished.”
The co-owners explained the changes they would be making.
The space will be made open plan, stripping back the remaining walls to the original brickwork. Desks will be installed in the front office, a kitchen will be added and the stairs to the downstairs part of the building will be widened.
“When you typically walk into an estate agency, it is rows of seats - you are all told to spring up when somebody walks in - and it can be a bit daunting for prospective buyers and sellers who are walking in,” said Mr Edmonds.
“So the impression and the vibe we want to give off is a more welcoming feel. We will have a kitchen, a coffee machine and the majority of staff will be at the back of the building.
“It is just to help people relax because buying or selling a property is probably one of the most stressful experiences there can be, so we just want to put people at ease.”
The firm employs seven staff members, with another set to join soon.
Mr Edmonds wouldn’t be drawn on the cost of the refurbishment work but said it will cost “a fair chunk” to do.
A “pizza punometer” caught the attention of those who watched the video detailing their plans - although Mr Knight did concede some of his jokes “fell flat”.
“We want to show we are people. I have worked at a larger corporate company and so has Alex, and you are a number there,” said Mr Edmonds.
“But we want to show people that we are real people and, even though we are the business owners, we are actively involved on a day-to-day basis.
“That is important to people.”
Knight Edmonds covers the Maidstone, Bearsted and Loose area for both property sales and lettings.
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