POPULAR restaurant chain Tony Macaroni have been given a licence for their new Irvine premises.

The Marini’s owned chain are pushing ahead with plans to open a restaurant in the former Blockbuster in Riverway Retail Park and could bring up to 40 jobs to the town.

North Ayrshire Licensing Board on Monday, April 18, granted the green light for a provisional premises licence on Monday.

Tony Macaroni is well-known throughout Scotland with stores in Glasgow, East Kilbride and Livingston.

The restaurant will operate as a sit-in and take-away Italian that also specialises in pizza and ice cream and will operate off-sales between 10am and 10pm seven days a week. The total capacity was stated as 158.

Tony Macaroni will become the fourth restaurant situated the Riverway Retail Park joining Frankie & Benny’s, KFC and McDonald’s.