A POOLE restaurant will be celebrating its 50th anniversary when it comes out of the latest lockdown next month.
The Clipper Restaurant, in the Dolphin Shopping Centre, has been an integral part of the town for half a century.
Opened in May 1971, less than two years after what was then the Arndale Centre opened for the first time, hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors will have eaten there over the decades.
The Royal Clipper restaurant and Clock Coffee House cafe from July 1971
Current owners Steve and Karen Brockway, who bought the restaurant in summer 2014, cannot wait to getting The Clipper back to what it does best.
Steve and Karen at the Clipper Restaurant in Poole
Steve said: "The Clipper Restaurant is celebrating its 50th birthday next month (May).
"It has been part of Poole pretty much since the centre opened in 1969 in fact a bit of an institution.
"We are only the third owners in 50 years.
"The restaurant and coffee house both first opened in May 1971, and a vegetarian salad bar called the Inn a Nutshell opened in June 1978.
The Royal Clipper restaurant and Clock Coffee House cafe from July 1971
"The counter service restaurant, as you see it today, opened in April 1989, when all three departments were combined into one."
Steve started work as assistant chef at The Clipper in October 1997.
"Karen joined in 2013 after leaving a successful role in Boots," Steve said. "We bought the restaurant in July 2014.
"It's a family run business with both our daughters, Abbie and Ella, working when not at university and school."
The Clipper is set to reopen on Monday, May 17, after a long five months of lockdown.
A spokesman for the Dolphin Shopping Centre described The Clipper as a "real local gem."
They added: "The Clipper is a firm family favourite in Poole, famous for both its friendly customer service and extensive flexible menu."
Pubs and restaurants in England reopened with outdoor service on April 12, in step two of the Government's 'roadmap' out of lockdown.
Businesses will have to wait until the third step of the roadmap kicks in, on or after May 17, before they can serve customers inside.
At this point, groups of six from two households will be able to meet indoors - with pubs and restaurants, such as The Clipper, able to reopen.
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