Within a week of announcing an opening date for its third Surrey opening, Giggling Squid has exchanged contracts on a fourth. This time in Farnham. The growing family of Thai tapas concepts is already in Reigate and Guildford and will open its doors in Esher in mid November.
The latest acquisition is made on the same day as Giggling Squid was revealed to have been short listed as Best Thai Restaurant, in this year’s Asian Curry Awards. The winners will be declared at a ceremony at the London Hilton on 17th November.
Farnham
A new 140 cover Farnham restaurant will be created on the sites of the former Colony Chinese restaurant and the neighbouring clothes shop. Located in a prime site in the heart of Farnham’s restaurant quarter on Castle Street, Giggling Squid will count Zizzi, Bill’s Brasserie Blanc, and Pizza Express among its neighbours, with Waitrose nearby.
Extensive building works and a complete refit, costing around £200,000, means the restaurant opening is probably six months away. By that time, the group expects to be 18 strong. Before then Giggling Squid expects to open in Bury St Edmunds, Berkhamsted and Warwick.
Corporate development
The Farnham opening will mean 20 new jobs and the company will create several more when it establishes a group head quarters in Guildford, where it opened a branch in August, later this year. The company will recruit a financial director and finance team, a fourth area manager, executive and development chefs plus posts in human resources, training and marketing.
“We know Surrey people love out take on rustic Thai food in contemporary surrounds – Farnham’s affluent demographic is a perfect match for our target customer profile,” said Giggling Squid MD Andy Laurillard, who co owns the restaurants with his wife, Pranee. “Customers travel from across the county to eat in our existing restaurants, and then beseech us to open in their home town – I get details of vacant properties every time a ‘To Let’ or ‘For Sale’ sign goes up.”
Andy runs the property management, marketing and financial side of things, while Pranee who left her native Thailand to take her a masters degree, takes care of restaurant design, operations and staff management.
Giggling Squid, 68 Castle St, Farnham GU9 7LN
For more information click here