THE prayers of takeaway lovers have finally been answered as England’s first-ever Chinese drive-thru is set to open this weekend.
The masterminds behind Wiyo say they want to become the “McDonald’s of Asian food” with their tasty new venture.
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And the team has sneakily saved their staff a job by hiding their most-asked question in the name. Wiyo stands for “what is your order.”
Gone are the days of queuing in the cold to pick up your Chinese takeaway, as now you can grab your grub from the comfort of your car.
Foodies are expected to flock to the Wiyo branch in Warrington, Cheshire, for a sneak peek of the crowd-pleasing concept on Saturday.
Brits can weigh up the mouth-watering menu and purchase their Chinese takeaway without even leaving their vehicle.
Dishes such as the house special chicken, shredded chilli beef and salt and pepper chicken are expected to go down a treat with customers.
Especially as you can bag one of your weekend favourites with either rice or fries for just £7 when bought as part of a box deal.
Co-owner Leon Freeman says he was motivated to come up with a solution to make Chinese food “more convenient for the masses”.
He spent five years fine-tuning the concept with his business partners, but was left baffled that no one had beat them to it.
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Leon said: “The aim was to make Chinese takeaway food quicker and more convenient for the masses.
“Considering how popular Chinese food is in England, we were confused why no one had developed the concept before now.
“The goal is to make Wiyo the McDonald’s of the Chinese fast food industry.
“We’re already looking at franchises in Manchester, Liverpool, Essex… And hope to make this national.”
The Wiyo chief explained he and his co-owners, Sally Gallagher and Dominic Freeman, came up with the idea sitting around a kitchen table.
The trio quickly began working on their drive-thru design, while developing their menu with a leading Chinese chef.
They then found the ideal site for their Wiyo launch four years later – and have been perfecting their nosh ever since.
Diners and drivers can decide between three different meal options, depending on how much they can stomach.
A single dish and drink will set you back £7, while going for double the dishes with a drink will only cost you £9.
And if you fancy satisfying your tastebuds with all three before washing it down, takeaway lovers will pay just £11.
Other options include the £11 salt and pepper sub, where chicken is layered on a roll with crispy lettuce, onions and Wiyo’s house special soy mayonnaise.
Side dishes aren’t neglected either. You can pile up your plate high with spring rolls and chicken nuggets priced at up to £4.
Some lucky punters managed to get their hands on the restaurant’s food early when it opened its hatch last weekend for a “soft launch”.
One takeaway fanatic, who travelled 35 miles from Wrexham, North Wales, to try out Wiyo’s drive-thru offerings said it was well worth the lengthy journey.
She said: “It’s delicious, drove all the way from Wrexham. Very tasty food and super-fast turnaround from order to pick up window”.
Another added: “Mine was amazing” while a third said: “Mine was really good!”
Despite the rave reviews, Leon said his plan was almost “derailed” in January when a horror accident meant he needed to have his leg amputated.
He explained he got a cut in the shower which then became infected with sepsis – forcing him to run the burgeoning business from his hospital bed.
Leon said: “By the time I was hospitalised there was no other option but to amputate my leg. I was in hospital for two months.
“We continued working from my hospital bed and four months after coming out of hospital we have finally completed the project.”
Wiyo will officially open on June 17, and from then will be open seven days per week between 5-9pm.
Although the concept is the first to hit the English market, it isn’t the first drive-thru Chinese takeaway in the UK.
Waka Asian Fusion, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, beat them to the punch and has been hailed as a game changer by foodies.
We previously told how one bloke did a four-hour round trip to try the scrumptious grub.
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