Turtle Bay, the new Caribbean restaurant concept developed by one of the founders of Las Iguanas, has secured its second site, M&C report has learnt.
Ajith Jaya-Wickrema and his backers have secured a site near the Guildhall in Southampton, and plan to open the new restaurant at the end of May/beginning of June. He hopes to acquire a further two to three sites by the end of the year.
The first Turtle Bay opened in the final quarter of last year in Mortimer Square, the Hub, Milton Keynes.
Jaya-Wickrema launched Las Iguanas together with Eren Ali, in Bristol in 1991.
He stood down from that business in August 2009 and recently joined the board of Tampopo, the East Asian noodle house concept, as an investing director.
Jaya-Wickrema is also an investing director of Aqua Italia, which operates three premium Italian restaurants across Bristol and Bath.
He has employed the services of Restaurant Property, the London-based agency, to look for sites between 3,000 and 4,000 sq. ft. in the Midlands and the south of the country.
