Wendy's Leeds: Top of Briggate ‘won’t become wild west’, new burger bar owners promise
A new city centre burger bar which wants to stay open until 3am every day has insisted the surrounding area won’t “become the wild west”.
Wendy’s will open on Thursday in a new premises at the top of Briggate, but there are concerns about the diner’s application for a licence to remain open past 11pm, with one objector raising the prospect of drunken revellers gathering in the area and causing chaos.
Speaking at a city council licensing hearing on Tuesday, franchise co-owner George Papadamou insisted the venue would actually reduce the amount of booze-fuelled crime in the area.
He said that by offering fast food and not selling alcohol, Wendy’s would help some of its customers “sober up”.
Speaking to a panel of three councillors, Mr Papadomou said: “We want to be great neighbours and we want to alleviate those concerns. We don’t expect this to become the wild west at the top of Briggate and we certainly wouldn’t allow it to.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if we thought it was going to cause massive issues in the area. We’re confident it will be an improvement for the area.”
Mr Papadomou said the venue would employ security personnel and 24/7 CCTV, which he suggested would make the surrounding area safer.
But the owner of nearby trainers store McKickz, who gave his name only as ‘Sean’, said the area around his shop was already beset by vandalism and public urination during the night.
He complained that allowing the licence would make these problems worse.
He told the hearing: “It’s not the food that’s the issue.
“We have a problem with attracting loads of people at 11pm at night. When the Leeds students come back it will become very busy. You can have security on your door, but you won’t have security at the front of our store at night.”
Mr Papadamou suggested the presence of Wendy’s might help “divide and conquer” some of the drunken mayhem regularly seen in the early hours outside McDonald’s, further down Briggate.
But McKickz’s owner disputed this, saying: “I don’t think it’s ‘divide and conquer’. I think this would bring new groups of people who otherwise wouldn’t be there.”
The council’s decision on whether or not to grant the licence will be confirmed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Wendy’s must close at 11pm.