Thu 9th Oct 2014 - Ex-Red Hot World Buffet executives to launch rival chain Ex-Red Hot World Buffet executives to launch rival chain: Two brothers, who held senior management positions at Red Hot World Buffet, have selected Cardiff as the launch location for their brand new chain of restaurants in an investment worth £2 million, creating 75 full and part-time jobs. The new 13,000 sq foot, two-storey restaurant, FED, will serve more than 300 diners at one time when it opens in November, including 50 covers on the top-floor mezzanine, which will be available for private hire. Once launched, the restaurant aims to deliver 5,000 covers per week. The restaurant will be located next to Cineworld, at the rear of the St David’s Shopping Centre and directly opposite the new Admiral headquarters. The FED concept brings together the best elements of the buffet concept and casual dining experience. Diners will be able to enjoy cuisines from nine cuisines around the world, but instead of pre-prepared meals sitting in vats, every dish will be prepared fresh, using quality ingredients by highly-skilled chefs at one of seven “live kitchens”. FED is the dream-child of brothers Sachin and Shailesh (Sal) Bajpai, former management team members at national buffet chain, Red Hot World Buffet. After leaving Red Hot World Buffet earlier this year, the Bajpai brothers drew on their combined knowledge of 15 years in the multi-cuisine sector and understanding of what makes a successful dining experience, and secured significant funding from investors to go it alone. Sal Bajpai said: “We are very excited to launch our brand new restaurant concept in Cardiff. We were looking for a location with an exciting and cosmopolitan culture and an appetite for new ideas when it comes to dining, and with its ever-growing food scene that is making the city a real foodie hot-spot, we knew Cardiff would be the ideal choice. I was the first manager Red Hot World Buffet recruited when the chain started in 2004, working directly alongside the founders to develop the business into what it is today. Sachin worked there for more than three years, overseeing the launches of four of its biggest branches as part of his brief to take the chain from a local restaurant to a national brand. Our combined experience gave us an in-depth understanding of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to delivering a successful dining experience. We have used this insight to shape the FED experience, which combines all of the best parts: choice, taste, value and fun. FED is a Food Exploration Destination, with diners will able to sample dishes from nine different cuisines, including Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Tex Mex and our grill kitchen. Whether you want to try new tastes inspired by our travels, or enjoy a favourite dish that you already love, everyone can enjoy their own dining adventure together. Our expert chefs will cook each dish live to customers’ own preferences, using fresh, healthy, high-quality ingredients. And while there will still be plenty of choice, we will offer a specially-curated selection of dishes from around the world, rather than a staggering array of meals, which diners can sometimes find overwhelming. FED is restaurants within a restaurant, making it feel noticeably different from a buffet. It aims to offer a great-value dining experience for families, students and groups of friends, and our location in the very centre of the city, so close to Cineworld and St David’s, is also perfect for hungry shoppers and cinema goers.” Sites for two further branches of FED, in Scotland and in the Midlands, have been selected as the next stage of the chain’s expansion plans, and are due to launch in early 2015. FED Cardiff will open in November. Prices for food start from £8.99.