Popular Seaham restaurant Grill 'N' Chill expands into new unit and doubles its offering

One of Seaham’s most-popular restaurants has expanded into a new unit to double its offering.

Grill ‘n’ Chill opened in Featherbed Court in 2012 with its grilled meats, parmos, pizzas and kebabs soon proving popular, with the North East chain going on to open a nearby Grill ‘N’ Go and Chilled Out Gelato in Seaham, as well as restaurants in Hill View in Sunderland and Peterlee.

Now, the original Grill ‘N’ Chill has expanded into the neighbouring unit in East Shore Village, well known for its time as Sagar restaurant.

The team has spent the past few months renovating the site to give it a Grill ‘N’ Chill makeover and it’s now open for business.

As well as doubling the seating capacity, the expansion means the restaurant can boost its drinks options, with a range of Champagnes, wines and cocktails served from the dedicated bar area, which it didn’t have before.

Owner Tabs Shah said he’s delighted with the response to the newly-expanded site.

“The feedback has been amazing,” said the businessman. “We really wanted to make it nice and make it feel special for our customers who’ve been coming to us for years - and everyone is loving it.

“It has more of a restaurant feel than the original site and it means we can offer a wider range of drinks than before.”

Speaking about why the local chain is so popular, Tabs said: “I think people love the fact that everything is so fresh, they can see everything being made before their eyes.”

While Tabs continues to invest in Seaham, like many business owners he’s concerned about the introduction of parking charges in the East Durham town.

Durham County Council is introducing parking charges at six sites.

They are: Vane Tempest, Terrace Green (beside the Tommy statue), Dock Top (opposite Bell's fish and chips), Nose's Point, Seaham Marina and the Seaham Hall car park (which surrounds the North Beach coffee bar).

From Monday, April 15, parking will move from free to £1 an hour or £3 to park all day.

The change is proving controversial with opposition Labour councillors, businesses and Seaham Town Council all opposed to the move.

Coalition-run Durham County Council says the charges will benefit the environment, the local economy and lead to more considerate parking.

Although Featherbed Court, where Grill ‘N’ Chill is based, has free parking Tabs is concerned people not using the businesses at the site will park there to avoid charges at the seafront car parks.

He said: “So many people visit Seaham to use the businesses which ploughs money into the economy, so to introduce these charges is ridiculous. It will force people to use other car parks as well as residential streets. It will affect us all.”

The Grill ‘N’ Chill expansion has created new jobs at the site and recruitment is ongoing. Anyone interested can email [email protected]

• Grill ‘N’ Chill, Seaham, is open 12noon until 9pm seven days a week.