Restaurant entrepreneurs expand into St Annes

The owners of two Fylde eateries, Spago and Java, are soon to open a newly acquired and refurbished restaurant in St Annes.

Husband and wife Tony and Helen Vavosa have taken a lease of the former Jack’s restaurant on Wood Street in the seaside town and invested £150,000 in the venue, which is set the reopen this month.

The new venue is undergoing a major refit including building work to alter the layout, which has seen it stripped back to its brickwork before being redecorated.

Once complete it will include a traditional fire for a relaxed atmosphere in the winter, and a heated outdoor terrace.

It will be renamed Fifty Four and will serve a European menu including breakfast, lunch and dinner, with fondue and healthy options.

Helen Vavosa said: “We are really excited. Both of us have worked on the same street in Lytham since we were 18 so it’s very exciting to be moving into a new town.”

The couple, who currently employ approximately 30 people at restaurants Java and Spago, which opened in 2009 and 2013 respectively, say the new restaurant will create around 18 jobs and they have already chosen a manager, Sean Bailey.

The Vavosas have been advised on the legal aspects of the lease and opening by a team from Napthens Solicitors’ Blackpool & Fylde office.

Partner Malcolm Ireland said: “Spago and Java have quickly become important parts of Lytham’s burgeoning food and drink scene, and it’s great to see Tony and Helen’s business doing so well.

“St Annes is a busy and attractive location for a venue like Fifty Four and I know there is already a buzz around the opening.”