Giggling Squid will open its 98-seater Thai restaurant in Reigate in early July, taking the group’s venues to six – Brighton, Hove and Crawley in Sussex, Tunbridge Wells in Kent and Henley in Oxfordshire.
Giggling Squid opened its first restaurant in 2009 in Hove and has established a strong reputation for its authentic, rustic and fresh Thai cooking with the emphasis on street food and coastal specialities.
60 cubic metre tunnel beneath the Reigate building!
Giggling Squid owners, husband-and-wife team Andrew and Pranee Laurillard have invested £350,000 in the site of the former Puccino Café on Reigate High Street, having first viewed the location 3 years ago. But the project was first beset with planning delays, then with complications of modernising a 4-storey listed building, then the discovery of a 60 cubic metre tunnel beneath the 250 year old building.
Giggling Squid is now on schedule to open during the first week of July. Following pre publicity in the local press and on radio, about the discovery of the gaping hole beneath restaurant in May, eager locals have been knocking on the door asking builders when the restaurant will open. Now illuminated, the “Black Hole of Reigate” is an integral feature of the restaurant.
Ambitious plans
The pair share ambitious expansion plans, intending to extend their operations to 80 sites over the next 7 years.
“We expect to encounter growth issues when we reach 10 sites and need to put in another management tier – but we are already experiencing significant economies of scale and we learn with each new opening,” said Andrew, adding, “There are no national Thai restaurant chains despite the increasing popularity of the cuisine – we intend to be the first – it’s all about getting the food right.”
Giggling Squid, 65 High Street, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9AE
T: 01737 223739
@GigglingSquid