Glorious new openings for Roast founder

Development has begun on two new venues by Iqbal Wahhab, founder of London’s Roast restaurant. Both will be located within the O2 Arena, Britain's new concert venue located in London's Greenwich. The multi-storey sites will include an Indian restaurant, an American restaurant, and a Manhattan-style cocktail bar.

These venues, as well as Roast, will make up the newly formed Glorious Group.

The new development, representing an investment of £6.5 million, is part of the current refurbishment of what was originally known as the Millenium Dome in East London. One three-storey building will house the cocktail bar and American restaurant, as well as a third restaurant serving traditional British food. The second, two-storey site will be an Indian restaurant.

The first performance at the O2 Arena is on the 24th of June, and the two ground floor bars are expected to be operational in time for this. The restaurants are scheduled to open by late August this year.

This new venture, as well as plans to expand Roast’s takeaway offering, Roast to Go, has prompted the formation of the Glorious Group. Wahhab has taken on the role of chief executive for the group, with Akbar Asif as chairman.

© db Clinton Cawood, 16/05/07