New restaurant Orbis Stamford will open above Hoppi Dorri next month

Diners are in for a treat when a restaurateur brings his brand to Stamford.

Jonathan Spencer will open Orbis Stamford next month, offering the same quality as the branch in Oakham.

The new eatery will be based above Hoppi Dorri, which will also have Jonathan at the helm after he acquired the business from owners Sam Letteri and Chris Riddle.

Under Jonathan’s management the two venues aim to offer an exceptional dining experience.

He said: “Stamford has a very similar demographic to Oakham so it makes sense for our first Orbis expansion to be here.”

Orbis prides itself on offering small plate menus from around the world alongside an innovative cocktail list.

Unusually all the meals are gluten free, with no compromise on quality or taste.

Hoppi Dorri will continue to serve Pan-Asian inspired food.

Jonathan said: “”What we offer is quite niche and we execute it well. People appreciate businesses like ours that go the extra mile.

“It’s a beautiful building which had a six-figure sum spent on it. Downstairs we will create a chef’s table where you can watch your meal be prepared and we’ll bring the Orbis brand upstairs.”

The business will create eight full time jobs and a similar number of part-time roles.

Orbis Oakham opened in January 2020 before closing for lockdown two months later.

The team continued to operate a thriving takeaway service and then branched out into providing free meals for families in need by setting up The Little Country Kitchen.

Jonathan said: “We wanted to support the community and people replicated that by continuing to support us.”

Orbis Stamford is the first stage of the expansion plans, with Jonathan hoping to open in Oundle, Nottingham and Cambridge.

Orbis Stamford will open on Friday, May 21 followed by Hoppi Dorri a week later.

Former owner of Hoppi Dorri, Chris Riddle, said: “Stamford welcomed us with open arms and we are so proud of the Hoppi Dorri brand that you all know and love.

"After the exciting buzz of setting up Hoppi Dorri and bringing Stamford its first sushi restaurant, we are now confidently handing it over to new owners, trusting that Hoppi will still be delivering your favourite soul food and sushi.

"We understand there is great anticipation for Hoppi’s doors to reopen again and we are excited to see what comes of Hoppi’s next chapter."

Chris will now focus his time on plans to build holiday lodges and leisure facilities at Woolfox Golf and Country Club.

Table bookings for Orbis open tomorrow (Saturday, April 10) at www.orbisstamford.co.uk