German Doner Kebab will open 78 new restaurants this year, including two in Glasgow, in a dramatic expansion that will create almost 3,000 jobs.

The Glasgow-based kebab chain said the growth will take the company to 170 outlets in the UK alone, PA news agency reported.

It comes after the fast-casual chain opened 39 restaurants last year despite the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Bosses said the new openings will see the brand land in Leeds, Brighton, Portsmouth, Great Yarmouth, Aberdeen, Stoke and include additional sites in London and Glasgow.

Glasgow Times:

Chief executive officer Imran Sayeed said: “We have been extremely agile during the pandemic, listening to the needs of our customers and responding to the huge demand for our game-changing kebabs.

“This has enabled us to build greater levels of brand awareness and customer loyalty as we bring the German Doner Kebab experience to more cities and towns throughout the UK.”

The move will see the firm recruit an extra 2,900 workers, in addition to the 3,500 currently employed across the UK.

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The company also pointed to an additional 350 sites planned over the next seven years.

Further stores are in the pipeline for North America and the first site in Saudi Arabia, as the brand already operates over 80 restaurants elsewhere across the world.

Mr Sayeed added: “We have developed strong franchise relationships in strategic global locations and we are now working closely with our partners to take forward development plans and expand our reach into new regions.”