The first Wimpy for almost 20 years is set to open in Brighton – just a stone’s throw from where another branch once traded.
Charlie Bhangal, who runs the Wimpys in Worthing and Eastbourne, wants to open one in the old Office Angels building in West Street.
There have previously been Wimpys in two different locations in West Street, the most recent of which closed in 2006. A picture from the mid-seventies shows one roughly where the Regency Leisure Arcade now operates.
Mr Bhangal has applied for planning permission to put in a new entrance door, sidelight, extractor fans and signage at 34 West Street.
The floor plans show seating for 78 customers plus two unisex toilets and a disabled toilet with baby change.
A spokesman for Wimpy said: “We very much hope that Wimpy will return to Brighton in the future however, as the planning application is at the very early stages, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
“As soon as we have any firm news, we will let our Wimpy fans know.”
Mr Bhangal opened Wimpy in Eastbourne in 2022 after investing £500,000 in the Beacon Shopping Centre branch.
His Worthing branch in Chapel Street, which won Wimpy of the year in 2013 and 2014, is currently closed for refurbishment.
The only other current Wimpy in the city is in Portslade, which opened in 2019. It had a rocky start, losing its alcohol licence the following year after a catalogue of breaches, including its manager being jailed for raping a woman there.
Another branch of the fast food restaurant in Peacehaven closed permanently in 2020, after temporarily shutting because of covid.
Brighton once had several branches of the American-founded fast food chain.
As well as the West Street restaurant, there were others in Western Road (where Oxfam now is), North Street (where Casa Delle Pizza now is), York Place (where Full House Chinese now is) and 19 Old Steine (where VIP Pizza now is) and 66 East Street (now Living Room Health).
The first Brighton Wimpy opened in York Place in 1964 and closed in 1991. The East Street branch opened in 1972 and stayed open until the noughties.
I honestly can’t think of a brand that’s hung on by it’s fingernails for so long. I wish Little Chef had lasted this long.
Have you seen their vegan prices?!
Wimpy single patty beef burger £4.60
Vegan single patty burger £10.10
Something tells me they’re not going to do too well in Brighton, unless they just want the 4am yobs who, for some reason, want to spend £14.20 on a burger, chips and drink when they can get a kebab wrap, chips and drink for under £8 just a few doors up.
Clueless man.
Brighton is competitive for food outlets just generally.
The Wimpy will have no problems being successful in Brighton. It is catering to a very huge area. The footfall from shoppers who would much prefer having the lunch, coffee, or whatever, from the upper end of the fast”ish” food market while in the city centre shopping or those on lunch from work.
Like the Eastbourne Wimpy, at which you scoffed at the £500k investment, the Brighton one will be full at lunchtime and very busy at other times. Eastbourne Wimpy is a two floor restaurant as well.
May I also point out that the eight or nine Wimpys I recall in Brighton & Hove and the surrounding area, nine of them actually closed due to a lack or popularity. East Street closed when the franchise holder retired after almost forty years I believe. The one at Peacehaven didn’t reopen again after the lockdowns because the franchise holder there also decided to retire, again after forty years. I appreciate that some among the number I remember probably did close at the end of their franchise as oppose to continuing with it due to extortionate rent and business rate hikes. The franchise owner at the Portslade Wimpy went back to Wimpy after a gap of a few years.
Someone commented somewhere here that Wimpy barely held on by its finger tips for years and yes it did look grave for some time with the number dipping to about 50 in the UK. This has now risen to over 80 and among the Wimpy’s in Kent and Sussex that have opened is Eastbourne, Portslade, Tonbridge, Sittingbourne, Orpington and these are just a few.
The new Brighton Wimpy won’t need to open until the early hours of the morning. It’s shutters will be long down with a more civilised closing time of between 7pm and 10pm.
I am happy to pay the Wimpy prices for the privilege of eating my Wimpy Grill on a plate and eat it with knifes and forks and have my tea served in a China pot and not have to eat my food out of plastic containers. There is also table service and there will be no need for the new Wimpy to have security staff like the one with that has given arches in its logo. Those that would cause trouble just walk on by as they couldn’t afford to come it anyway.
Charlie the new franchise-holder runs his restaurants in a professional manner which can be seen at his Eastbourne and Worthing restaurants.
Wishing the Brighton Wimpy every success
Excellent nice to see something from my childhood return to Brighton that’s not an American franchise
The last Wimpy branch in Brighton, if I remember correctly, was in East Street.
The burgers in Grubbs, the local chain, were always much better.
There was one on Boundary Road in portslade for years. I think it only closed very very recently
If I had £500k, safer bet would be some shares in BAE systems than a burger chain that went out of favour 40 years ago and has zero marketing. West street as well is a strange place to choose. Brighton has a lot of very strong competition in the burger game from cheap to premium. A small town with no competition is a safer bet, hence why they have done well in Worthing and Eastbourne, not much else there.
Charlie is a fantastic guy wish him all the luck
Well burger me?
Myself and my husband courted at the one in east street it was our favourite place as wages were not much in the 80s found memories we will be the first one there can’t wait for it to open
there also was one in George street hove and also Blatchington road hove
There was a Wimpy Aa the old Steine/ Grand Parade bottom to the right of St James Street plus one in Western Rd near to where Waitrose now is (which was the old Curzon cinema).
When that picture was taken a Wimpy grill was 36p and a cheeseburger was 21p. You can see the advert for Embassy “regal” cigarettes for 39p in the photo.
Now the smokes are £16.50 and the cheeseburger is £5.30.
Using the bank of England inflation calculator 21p is now the same as £1.93 and 39p is now £3.58
Interesting numbers…
Personally, I love a Wimpy. If the new Brighton one is run like the Wimpy in Worthing it will be a hit. And with the support of our Brighton & Hove community everything is possible. The food is cooked fresh to order and we don’t she that so much now. I’ve been to other establishments in Brighton & Hove but I feel I’m only eating for the need of food when I’m out, not the enjoyment of it. Wimpy will be a real treat to have in Brighton and I sincerely support and welcome there return our way.