A Pembroke variety store has launched a takeout restaurant.

One Stop Variety, in Parsons Road, opened up a new fast-food counter a few days ago.

And owner Africa Outerbridge said she planned a grand opening tomorrow, at the store and at the car park at the Evening Light church across the road.

The event will feature food, music, giveaways, a prize draw and will also feature Dr Gina Spence’s Team Street Safe team.

Ms Outerbridge said: “Because it’s a variety and grocery store, we have other things just to show our appreciation to our customers.”

She added: “So far, it’s going incredibly well.

There is a demand because there’s nothing really there. We had Jamaican Grill, but it’s closed at the moment.

“When we started this project, Jamaican Grill was still open, but they have a different cuisine from us, so we knew we had something which would work in this area.”

Ms Outerbridge and her husband bought the former Deepdale grocery store, which had operated from the same site for more than 50 years, in 2006 — with plans to expand its lines of business.

She said that they began working on plans to introduce a fast-food restaurant, but had put the plans on hold due to the recession.

Ms Outerbridge said: “We remodelled the shop so people could walk around and grab and go when we took it over.

“We always knew it would be more than a grocery store and we began working on plans to revamp the shop once again to include a takeaway kitchen.”

She added: “We were more than confident we could operate a kitchen as my parents owned a lunch wagon where I worked regularly.”

Ms Outerbridge said the restaurant plan was revived in 2014, with the plans finally gaining approval last year.

The store was closed for a few weeks in March while work to create the kitchen area went ahead.

Ms Outerbridge said: “Customers were amazed. They love that they can walk through from the grocery store to the kitchen.”

Ms Outerbridge said it was important to invest in the area, which has been scarred by gang violence.

And she had advice for other aspiring businesspeople not to give up on their dreams.

Ms Outerbridge said: “People shouldn’t give up on their goals — there are different routes to the same destination.

“From the shop’s perspective, because of the negativity that’s happening, it also shows that everything doesn’t have to be done through violence.

“When you do positive things, positive things come to you. It’s an example to young people to do the right things “

The new restaurant offers a range of food, including hamburgers, hot dogs, fish cakes, local fish sandwiches, fries and wings, as well as a daily hot food special.

And the One Stop Variety Store and Takeaway also does a traditional codfish and potato breakfast on Sundays.

One Stop is open from 7am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 12pm Friday and Saturday and 9am to 7pm on Sundays.