Food brand FreshMex has unveiled plans to expand into Dundee after securing its second permanent venue in Aberdeen.
The company, which is run by 24-year-old entrepreneurs Robbie Moult and Calum Wright, will open an outlet inside The St Machar Bar in Old Aberdeen next month.
The pair already has a FreshMex-branded eatery within The Adams & The Hawthorn on Holburn Street, which opened earlier this year [2016] following a £100,000 refit.
Both bars are owned by Adams Family Pubs, a chain founded in the 1970s by Bert and Jean Adams and now run by their son, Eric, and his son, Philip.
The firm also owns the Balmoral Bar in Ballater.
In addition, FreshMex has signed a distribution deal with Deliveroo through which customers will be able to order food for home delivery.
Moult and Wright launched their Tex-Mex brand 18 months ago as a pop-up stall and catering service.
Their stall has visited food festivals in Deeside, Huntly and Inverurie in recent months.
The business already employs 11 staff and expects to create a further three jobs when it moves into The St Machar Bar.
Wright said: “We’re extremely excited about securing this deal to cater for a second establishment in a prime student location.
“The company’s success has exceeded our expectations dramatically and we are delighted with the success we’ve had to date.
“It’s been great being able to employ so many people, and we’re also very focused on supporting other local businesses where possible.”
He added: “We’re also in the process of looking into investing in Dundee in the coming months, with the hopes of gaining our own fixed premises in Aberdeen in the future too.
“We have been looking for a city centre location on Dundee high street, however we want to ensure we get the perfect location so have been investigating other prime areas too.”
Philip Adams said: “We are delighted to welcome the FreshMex team to The St Machar Bar.
“We’ve built a great working relationship at The Adams & The Hawthorn and look forward to hitting the ground running with our new concept.
“The St Machar Bar enjoys a unique location and massively diverse clientele that will hopefully be excited by the news.
“Their food is fantastic, with the guys showing a real passion for their product, which ought to sit well within our university bar and ‘spice up’ Old Aberdeen, so to speak.”
While FreshMex at the Adams has focused on a Mexican menu, the latest venture will concentrate on Texan dishes.
The pair of young entrepreneurs, who have been friends since they were nine years old, founded the business after graduating from university.
Wright trained as a chef, while Moult travelled overseas, developing ideas for their Tex-Mex food brand.