Country’s first ever Chinese takeaway drive-thru is opening this weekend

The UK is set to get its first Chinese takeaway drive-thru, and it’s set to open this weekend!

If the recent TikTok debate on England’s Chinese takeaway culture is anything to go by, the rest of the world should know by now that we just love a good Chinese. 

Whether it’s curry sauce, or chicken balls, or sweet and sour chicken – you could say that getting a Chinese on a Friday night is probably the equivalent of a New Yorker ordering out for pizza. 

It does come as a surprise, then, that there has not been (until now) a Chinese takeaway drive-thru in the whole country. 

British Chinese food – as it is now affectionately known – experienced a boom during the early 1950s after changes in UK immigration laws allowed for greater migration to fulfil a post-war need for labour. Between 1957 and 1964, the number of Chinese restaurants more than doubled, with many obviously catering to non-Chinese palates, according to the BBC.

Jeremy Pang, a British-Chinese chef and founder of London-based School of Wok cookery school has said that the dishes are a result of a culture exchange: “[It’s] food that is influenced from one culture to the other, whichever way round you see it – from British to Chinese or Chinese to British. There are so many different dishes and recipes out there that have had influence from each other.”

The lucky town getting to be the first to experience a Chinese takeaway drive-thru is Warrington.

The window in the wall will be open seven evenings a week serving up the best-loved Chinese takeaway dishes from 5-9 p.m. Perfect for the after-work cravings!

The Wiyo drive thru is off Knutsford Road, on School Street, near Bridge Foot, and is already quite popular with the local community after it soft-launched last weekend.

One of Wiyo’s owners, Leon Freedman, told the Warrington Guardian: “Our goal was to create a quick, convenient, great tasting menu, that can be eaten on the go for the people of Warrington and surrounding areas We will be employing at least 15 staff from the local area and hope to bring some life back to a once run-down space in the centre of town.”

Wiyo expects that one of its most popular dishes will be its scrumptious salt and pepper chicken, as Leon said that it has been “a hit at all the food festivals.”

Wiyo will officially open this Saturday, June 17th at 5 p.m!

Featured image credit: Hollie Adams/Getty