A RESTAURANT chain will create dozens of new jobs when it opens a new outlet in Weston this summer.

Frankie and Benny’s has started recruiting staff to work at the Flowerdown Retail Park site on the outskirts of town.

Although the Italian-American restaurant chain cannot confirm an exact opening date at the moment, bosses hope to welcome their first customers around mid-June.

The firm is currently recruiting for managers and will be recruiting for floor, bar and kitchen staff from late April or early May.

Details of the jobs available will also be displayed in the area’s job centres and a banner will be displayed at the restaurant site closer to the opening time with details of how to apply.

The restaurant will seat 138 diners with a further eight in the bar area.

Cranford Developments won an appeal last year after permission was refused for the restaurant.

The company had originally hoped to bring the Italian-American restaurant operator to the Flowerdown Retail Park by the end of last year.

But North Somerset Council officers, who feared the outlet would attract trade away from the town centre, refused the planning application.

Plans for the site, which also includes a Costa Coffee, were delayed because of the need for an appeal.

The refusal was overturned in September after it was pointed out that B&Q near the restaurant site has a caf� and outlets such as Costa and Frankie and Benny’s are commonly found at retail parks across the country.

A Frankie and Benny’s spokesman said: “Our restaurant will bring a little bit of New York to the heart of Weston and we look forward to serving the area’s residents and visitors.”