KENDAL is to get a second Subway cafe - just a few yards down the road from the first.

The fast food sandwich store is moving into an empty building on the corner of Stramongate and Kent Street, previously occupied by Johnson’s Dry Cleaners.

Opening on November 5, the new Subway is just round the corner from the existing cafe in nearby Market Place.

However, there are reports that the Market Place Subway will not renew its franchise although the store has not commented.

Businessman Ross Fairbairn, 29, originally from Keswick, will run the franchise for Kendal’s second cafe and plans to recruit five full-time and four part-time staff.

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Mr Fairbairn believes there is sufficient trade in Kendal to support both outlets and says his business at 1 Stramongate will offer the Subway brand over two-storeys with 50 covers.

Initially, the business will open from 7am until 10pm from Monday to Friday and from 8am until 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Within six months he may apply for permission to extend the opening hours to service customers at nearby nite-spots.

Mr Fairbairn’s company RDF Leisure Ltd runs four other Subways including one in Blackpool and three in Liverpool.

He said: “Stramongate is quite a busy street and there is potential for day trade and night trade - there are other restaurants down there and it’s right next to Beale’s which is a well-established department store, and there is plenty of nearby car parking.”

Neighbouring local business TT’s Diner, which opened two years ago, initially had reservations about the new arrivals next door.

But Christian Hoyle, 37, who runs TT’s with business partner Chris Curry, commented: “I’ve thought about it and I think it’s quite a good thing - it will bring more people down into this area. "This part of town is becoming a place to go for food and you can either look at the negative side of these things or the positive.

“Everyone will up their game because we are up against the big boys. It will fill an empty shop and I’m on the Kendal BID board so we need a buzz about Kendal.”

Mr Fairbairn said despite the franchise being for a national chain and brand, it would be staffed by locals.

“It’s a considerable investment in a vacant building and even though we are a national chain we’re local operators and it’s run by local people and we recruiting local people," he said.

"We are looking to expand into Cumbria and this is our first.”

The first Subway opened in Connecticut, USA, in 1965. The company now has 42,771 outlets in 108 countries and has more in the UK and Ireland than McDonald’s.