THE owner of a Glasgow deli is to transform its flagship site into a restaurant.

Tony Johnston, founder of Peckham's cafe and deli chain, will open the Hyndland Fox in Clarence Drive next month.

The venue, which will be based at the site of the company's first Peckhams store, will be open from morning until night.

Locals feared the original deli had closed for good after it shut for months of renovation work.

Tony said: "We had three retail units close together, but that was no longer sustainable.

"So we came up with the idea of bringing in the restaurant element.

"We are aiming to open in the third week in May.

"There will be no big opening bash as such but we will do soft openings to make sure we have got our act together and then we'll have some of our regular customers invited along over a few days too."

Around 22 people will be employed at the new site, which Tony wanted to be distinctly different from the previous Peckham's shop.

He said: "We couldn't call it Peckham's because that always led to confusion - we had people coming into the deli looking for bottles of malt and people coming in to the wine shop looking for olives and bread.

"We wanted to have quite a definitive name but everybody knows that it's run by us - that it's our take on a bar and restaurant.

"We are at the heart of the community in Hyndland and we want it to be a community operation with local people."

Specialising in three types of Bloody Mary cocktail, the modern eaterie will also be offering artisan coffees and craft beers.

The menu will focus on homely meals and dishes suitable for sharing, along with an extensive breakfast range.

hannah.rodger@ eveningtimes.co.uk