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Restaurant in 125-year-old pavilion gets facelift

Owen SennittNorfolk
Zaks Diner A Victorian sports pavilion with large windows and balconies is in view with trees and blue skies around it and parasols in the foreground covering picnic tablesZaks Diner
Zaks Diner in Mousehold is located in a Victorian sports pavilion

A 125-year-old Victorian pavilion that now houses a restaurant is undergoing a facelift.

The building in Mousehold Heath in Norwich was built at the turn of the 20th Century and is currently surrounded by scaffolding while workers restore the structure.

For nearly 50 years it has been the home of Zaks Diner, a local American restaurant chain that launched there in 1977 when the original owner Harvey Platt expanded from his food truck.

Despite the extensive scaffolding, the restaurant remains open and the work is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.

Owen Sennitt/BBC A composite image shows a man to the left wearing a denim jacket and glasses smiling toward the camera in front of a building covered in scaffolding and the right image is of a Victorian pavilion building covered in scaffolding on a sunny dayOwen Sennitt/BBC
Chris Carr, co-owner of Zaks, outside its restaurant in Mousehold Heath, Norwich

The building was originally constructed in 1901 and used as a sports pavilion, where people could get changed or enjoy refreshments while overlooking the cricket pitch below.

It is owned by Norwich City Council, which is carrying out the work.

Chris Carr, co-owner of Zaks, which also has restaurants in Poringland and Great Yarmouth, said: "It has been various things over the years, including a home for a while.

"We are out in the middle of nowhere and nature is all around us so we need to make sure trees are kept a safe distance away.

"Obviously it is an old building so we are limited by what changes we can make but with every Zaks we coexist with the space and make sure we look after them."

Owen Sennitt/BBC A man wearing a denim jacket with a beard and glasses stands inside an American-themed restaurant with a pink staircase and neon signsOwen Sennitt/BBC
The inside of the restaurant has been decked out with American memorabilia

Inside the restaurant, the walls are decked out with American memorabilia, including a vintage Coca-Cola vending machine and neon signs.

Carr said the restaurant had hosted countless first dates during its 49-year history and while the menu had undergone many updates, long-running favourites remained.

Carr added that while the firm had ridden many storms in its time, the current economic climate was creating "challenging times" for the business.

"We are still busy and have customers coming through the door but our margins are very tight.

"We are custodians of this business and we need to make sure that we see it through this crisis like it has been through many other crises in the past."

Owen Sennitt/BBC Scaffolding surrounds a building on a bright sunny day with blue skies in the backgroundOwen Sennitt/BBC
The scaffolding will be up for the next few weeks while the building is restored
Zaks Diner A Victorian sports pavilion building is lit up at night with an orange glowZaks Diner
Chris Carr said the current economic climate was creating "challenging times" for the business

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