A popular Douglas restaurant is setting its sights on expansion across the water as it searches for the right location to open its first UK site.

Just Pizza & Pasta, based in Clinch’s Court on North Quay, has revealed it is actively looking for premises in several towns across the UK.

In a post shared on LinkedIn, the business said it is gearing up to open its first managed restaurant in Britain and is asking people in its network to help identify suitable properties.

The company says it is currently searching in Welwyn Garden City, Tynemouth, Crosby, Kingswinford, Halesowen and Bonnyrigg.

The team is looking for a building of around 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, ideally located just off a busy high street with strong footfall but without premium rents.

Unusual spaces are also being considered, including former garages, engineering workshops, small warehouses and trade units that could be transformed into a restaurant.

The post said the aim is to create a 100-plus cover venue with a high-energy open kitchen concept built around ‘great food, great service and proper community presence’.

It added: ‘The brand is proven in the Isle of Man, the model works and now it’s about finding the right building in the right town.’

The restaurant is also encouraging commercial agents, developers, landlords and business owners to get in touch if they know of a suitable property.

‘This is exactly how great hospitality businesses are born – not from glossy brochures, but from the right property, in the right location, with the right people around the table,’ the post said.

Founded by Glasgow-born businessman Mitch Sorbie, Just Pizza & Pasta first opened in Douglas in 2004 and quickly built a loyal following.

The restaurant later moved to a larger 150-seat waterfront site on North Quay in 2019.