This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Little Amsterdam to become Mexican restaurant
14/08/2020
Popular venue finds way to relaunch as Mexican restaurant: “my staff were telling me how difficult it was to find a job I had to think about doing something quickly”
The cuisine served at a popular North Bar establishment is set to change from popular Dutch products and traditional dishes from the Netherlands to south-American influenced enchiladas, tacos, burritos and nachos. The former Little Amsterdam restaurant will soon be opening as a new Mexican restaurant.
Owner Ilja Abbattista told Banbury FM. “it’s a big change and completely different. I had to rethink everything that I was doing as running the restaurant the way I was, was no longer an option”.
The award-winning Little Amsterdam restaurant did not reopen after the enforced coronavirus shutdown. The rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 meant this was not an option. Ilja said, “The original kitchen is upstairs in the building and it gets very, very hot. Social distancing is not possible and wearing PPE would make it very difficult for my staff”.
“During lockdown I had come up with a few new ideas and it was starting to be clear that these options would not be ready in time and I was worried that I couldn’t give my staff a job. I had told them all to start looking elsewhere. Thank goodness some of them did”.
The push to think of a new idea that would work in the former Little Amsterdam premises came due to the plight of Ilja’s staff. She said, “As my staff were telling me how difficult it was to find a job I had to think about doing something quickly. I came up with Mexican”.
The requirements of a Mexican restaurant are very different to those of Little Amsterdam. Ilja said, “My staff won’t need to work upstairs, I have transformed the place to accommodate this idea. Plus we can adapt it in future if we needed to”.
The name of the new Mexican restaurant is yet to be announced although Ilja has already made that decision. She is planning some fun with her Facebook page followers and will be running a “guess the name” competition.
When the new venture is up and running Ilja is planning on stepping back to concentrate on other projects. She said, “My staff will run the place as I want to concentrate on my new ideas and once they are up and running there will be more and more jobs for local people”.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam
Derek Bethell On 14/08/2020 at 11:36 pm
Brilliant news – let us know when you start the new venture and we will be there 🙂
Sheila Russell On 16/09/2020 at 9:44 am
Hi Ilja when are you opening?
Mark Dixey On 03/10/2020 at 10:27 am
Love Mexican
When are you open
Ron On 24/11/2020 at 1:38 pm
Very sad to see my only nearby source of kroketten disappear, good luck with your new venture I guess.