A restaurant boss is celebrating the launch of his latest seafront venue in Kent - and believes it could attract Londoners to the county’s coast.
Mehmet Dari has launched The Bay at the foot of the town’s pier as part of a £250,000 project that has been years in the making.
He has transformed a building once occupied by Le Petit Poisson into an eye-catching 200-seater restaurant - with the promise of a rooftop terrace to come.
The plush Mediterranean-style eatery, which boasts an outdoor dining terrace, is the latest venture for Mr Dari, who founded the growing A La Turka chain of Turkish eateries.
He opened The Bay last Wednesday - creating up to 20 jobs - and says it has been well received by customers.
“We’re delighted with how it’s turned out and the feedback so far has been very good,” he said.
“I am always looking for opportunities to invest in the town and put Herne Bay on the map and I think The Bay has the potential to attract customers from all over Kent, and even London.”
The menu differs from his traditional Turkish style dining as it is strongly biased towards fish, lobster and steaks.
“I guess it’s more of a surf and turf type choice,” said the restaurateur.
Mr Dari now has a vision to create a rooftop terrace at The Bay.
“Hopefully, in about a year we will draw up the design and go for planning, as well as get the finance in place. But it will offer stunning sunset views and be a wonderful place to eat.”
One of nine siblings from a family of farmers from Gaziantep, Mr Dari arrived in the UK in 1998 to begin what has become a remarkable success story.
He said previously: “My love for food began in my mother's kitchen, where I was her main helper sourcing the ingredients and preparing our meals.
“Food has always been a big part of my life as I also worked with my father growing the produce on our farm and selling our harvest in the local markets.
“Since arriving in the UK, I knew I wanted to be in the food industry, but learning the language was always my first priority.
“Spending a few years working in different establishments to understand the food business here meant I was able to open my first outlet in 2000, and first restaurant in 2006.”
The Bay becomes the newest eatery in Mr Dari's growing restaurant business, which includes A La Turkas in Herne Bay, Whitstable, Canterbury and Ramsgate, as well as The Grapevine and Sunset Fish Bar in Herne Bay.
