Frankie & Benny's reveals new look Frankie's – without Benny

Italian-American restaurant chain Frankie & Benny's has revealed a major refurbishment of its Basildon branch, the first of three planned for this year, which has seen the name shortened to just Frankie's.

The group said as part of an evolution of the brand, 'Frankie' was "coming to the fore". The Basildon restaurant will relaunch this Friday (22 October) having been redesigned to accommodate the chain's growth in delivery and takeaway operations and follows the launch of new menus across all its restaurants in May.

The redesign was described as giving the venue a "lighter, fresher and brighter" look, with a significant expansion of the kitchen, which has also been kitted out with more energy efficient equipment.

Jonathan Knight, managing director at Frankie & Benny's, said: "We are delighted with the new look Frankie's. As part of our efforts to evolve the brand and deliver an excellent customer proposition, we are letting Frankie take centre stage and move the brand forward to a bright future.

"We are excited to begin refurbishing other restaurants and we can't wait to welcome back customers at the end of October."

Frankie & Benny's is part of the Restaurant Group which operates approximately 400 restaurants and pub restaurants throughout the UK, including the Wagamama chain.

The group underwent a restructure last year, which saw it exit approximately 250 sites, including through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that primarily affected the Frankie & Benny's brand, while its Chiquito and Food & Fuel brands fell into administration, although not all Chiquito restaurants closed.