A popular Old Town Thai restaurant has officially closed its doors, with a new seafood restaurant already beginning to put its stamp on the premises.
Siam Thai, based at Godwin Court in Old Town, Swindon, is now permanently closed after weeks of uncertainty surrounding the restaurant’s future.
The restaurant had been expected to reopen at the beginning of August following staff holidays, but the doors remained closed.
As the weeks went by, customers began asking when the restaurant would be reopening, with messages and enquiries reportedly going unanswered.
Now, those hoping to see Siam Thai return have their answer – it won’t be.
Work has started on the outside of the Godwin Court restaurant as Jimmy’s Killer Prawns prepares to take over the site, with the familiar Siam Thai frontage being replaced by branding for the new arrival.
Jimmy’s Killer Prawns describes itself as “The Original Prawn and Seafood Restaurant” and traces its beginnings back to South Africa in 1991.
According to the company, its story began when founder Jimmy opened his first restaurant from an old mining house which had previously been home to an unsuccessful restaurant.
The idea to make prawns the centre of the business apparently came to him in a dream, inspired by memories of sharing huge platters of prawns with friends during a meal in Mozambique.
More than three decades later, the Jimmy’s Killer Prawns name can be found in a number of locations, including restaurants in the UK, Cyprus and the UAE.
The business is also advertising further expansion opportunities in cities including Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds, Peterborough and Stoke-on-Trent.
Its arrival will bring another new name to Old Town’s food scene, although for regular customers of Siam Thai it marks the end of a restaurant which had become a familiar part of Godwin Court.
There had been no clear indication for some time about what was happening with Siam Thai, particularly after its expected August reopening failed to happen.
But with new signage now appearing on the building, the future of the restaurant unit is finally becoming clear.
Jimmy’s Killer Prawns is coming to Old Town.
