A NEW burger restaurant and takeaway in Bolton town centre is celebrating a successful opening.

The owner of Hashtag Burgers on Bridge Street says he has been overwhelmed with the support from the local community.

The eaterie specialises in burgers, waffles and milkshakes and is registered with Deliveroo, JustEat and UberEats.

Restaurant founder Sadia Jabeen, 28, from Bury, said: “It has been extremely busy and we have had a phenomenal response from our incredible customers.

“We have experienced massive surge in support from the local community. We are very grateful to Bolton - and we also feel incredibly grateful to be able to create job opportunities in these unfortunate times.”

Hashtag Burgers currently employs 15 staff members, including some of Sadia’s own family.

Under social distancing guidelines, the restaurant currently offers a limited menu and staff are working in family bubbles, or in staggered shifts.

Sadia, a University of Manchester graduate, added: “I am a huge food lover, I have always supported my local restaurants and takeaways. I like to go to new places and try new food. In this journey, I was able to realise a huge market gap for a good quality food place in Bolton.

“We wanted to sell top-quality food to customers which is also value for money so other takeaways and restaurants will follow and ultimately it will benefit the whole community.”

But starting a business during the pandemic has been challenging. Delays in renovations and deliveries and a rising labour costs meant Sadia and her family had to do much of the maintenance work themselves.

Despite feeling financially strained at the beginning, business has boomed since.

Sadia say while the focus is currently on takeaway custom they hope to build up their restaurant side after lockdown.