An American-themed pizza chain is to open its first European outlet in Dundee early next year with the creation of 26 jobs.
Project Pie, inspired by the US naming of the popular Italian dish as the pizza pie, is to open in the former Santander Bank in Reform Street.
The £500,000 venture will introduce Dundee diners to a new style of fast, casual cuisine offering the delights of designing, building and eating fresh pizza.
Customers will select the base and toppings of their choice for expert staff to cook and serve in less than three minutes in a superfast 800C oven.
The eaterie will also serve pizza deserts and US-style sodas.
It will have seating for 65 and a take-away service to capitalise on the city centre’s large office staff and student population.
The franchise is being brought to Dundee by owners Niall Howard and John and Sue Canavan, and the choice of the City of Discovery for the first European opening was deliberate.
Niall, who is originally from Huntly and has extensive experience in the restaurant industry globally, said: “Dundee is the right place for us to be opening in Europe.
“Project Pies are well established in the States, where the chain was founded by James Markham, and in the Philippines.
“We are looking at Dundee being the first of about 60 stores in the UK and Ireland.
“I graduated in business studies at what is now Abertay University, lived in Dundee and have a huge regard for the city where so much is happening.
“The developments in the waterfront including the V&A are so exciting, and the city has also been awarded Unesco City of Design status.
“Design is something I feel passionately about, and I think we have embodied good design in the creation of our store in a listed building in such a classic thoroughfare as Reform Street.”
Niall was previously chief executive of the Hakkasan Cantonese restaurant chain, which has a London restaurant designed by Kengo Kuma, designer of the V&A in Dundee.
One of Niall’s latest projects with the oriental chain was a Hakkasan nightclub at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
A recent achievement was his opening of a Hakkasan in Shanghai, bringing a Chinese restaurant to China.
A launch date for Dundee’s Project Pie is likely to be at the end of next month after students return from their Christmas break.
He said: “Our manager and assistant are completing their training in San Diego and the rest of our staff we are looking to recruit full and part-time will begin training next month to ensure we deliver the high standard of service to our Dundee customers that we demand.”