ENGLAND'S first-ever drive-thru of its kind is set to launch just over the border - and one North Wales resident has been among the first few people to taste what it has to offer.
The owners of Wiyo hope it will go on to become 'the McDonalds’ of the Asian cuisine.
Wiyo - which stands for ‘what is your order’ - sent foodies into a frenzy after it announced its first restaurant would open every day from next week.
The menu at its outlet, in Warrington, Cheshire, has several mouth-watering dishes including ‘house special chicken’, ‘shredded chilli beef’ and ‘salt and pepper chicken’.
And these options cost £7 when they are bought as part of a ‘box’ deal - with either rice or fries - which customers can purchase from the comfort of their vehicles.
Co-owner Leon Freeman spent five years developing the concept with his business partners and said he hoped to make Chinese food “more convenient for the masses”.
Mr Freeman 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.”
Leon said he and his co-owner Sally Gallagher and Dominic Freeman had come up with the idea for the restaurant around a kitchen table in 2018.
They then developed their menu with a leading Chinese chef before finding the perfect site for their drive-thru business four years later.
Diners get a choice of ordering three different meal options - with a single dish and drink costing £7, two and a drink priced at £9, and three with a drink going for £11.
PIC: An example of the 'delicious' food on offer at Wiyo - England's first Chinese drive-thru.
They can also opt for the ‘salt + pepper sub’, priced at £11, where chicken is layered on a roll with crispy lettuce, onions and Wiyo’s house special soy mayonnaise.
The outlet also offers a series of side dishes, such as battered spring rolls and chicken nuggets, costing between £3 to £4.
Some lucky punters managed to get their hands on the restaurant's food early when it opened its hatch last weekend during a ‘soft launch’.
And one diner, who travelled 35 miles from Wrexham, to try out its fare branded it “delicious”.
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 being the first of its kind in England, the restaurant isn’t actually the first in the UK to develop a Chinese drive-thru concept - with those honours going to Waka Asian Fusion, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Wiyo will officially open on June 17, and from then will be open seven days per week between 5-9pm.
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