Wagamama plans to reopen 67 restaurants for deliveries following trials in Leeds and London

The pan-Asian restaurant chain launched a trial at five of its delivery kitchens earlier this month after being forced to shut its doors to customers due to the coronavirus pandemic. It said it will now rapidly expand its delivery service after the “successful” trials in London and Leeds. It will reopen 24 sites this Thursday, with a further 20 reopening on Thursday May 28. The chain said it hopes to have 49 sites open for delivery by the start of June, with this expanding to 67 by the end of the month. Wagamama said it has devised a schedule of reopening new sites that will allow staff to slowly return to delivery-only work at their own discretion. Emma Woods, Wagamama chief executive, said: “Over the past couple of months our focus has been on creating a safe working environment for our team members and our two-week trial has enabled our teams to return to work safely. “The next logical step for us is to open additional sites throughout the UK, this will still very much form a test and learn approach for the business. “The response of our return has been extremely positive and we look forward to our guests being able to get their Wagamama fix.” After lockdown restrictions were introduced, Wagamama launched Wok From Home, a free video series teaching people to cook some of its most popular dishes, such as chicken katsu curry, from home. It said the following sites will open on Thursday: Islington Great Marlborough Street Hampstead Hammersmith Great North Finchley Cambridge Manchester Spinningfields (including take-out) Liverpool Didsbury Nottingham (including take-out) Reigate (including take-out) St Albans Newcastle Sheffield City Centre Fulham Broadway Wimbledon Putney (including take-out) Ealing Wandsworth Kingston Richmond Victoria Borough Market Croydon Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well. Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade. And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help. Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing subscriptions@jpimedia.co.uk. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available. If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country. Sincerely. Thank you. James Mitchinson Editor --