Burnley's Mexican street food sensation The Hatch to relaunch as town centre restaurant La Escotilla Taco & Tequila Bar

The couple behind The Hatch Grill and Waffle House, a Mexican takeaway in Burnley, are bringing their “unbelievable” menu of tacos, panchos, ice cream and Hangover Boxes to St James's Street.

Rachel Boys and Jonni Thomas will relaunch their business next week as a restaurant called La Escotilla Taco & Tequila Bar in the former Hideaway Bar & Kitchen.

Jonni said: “We’re going to bring what nobody else has. We want to bring the feel of Manchester. We want people to come here, have a good laugh and feel like they are not in Burnley.”

And Rachel added: “The vibes will feel like you’re abroad. Burnley has needed something brand-new for a long time and I think that’s what’s coming. Anyone who knows us knows we’re going to bring an unbelievable vibe.”

La Escotilla, which means “the hatch” in Spanish, will offer sit-down dining with a bar, an expanded food menu, live entertainment, and an events room, all set against rustic Mexican decor. It will also offer brand-new dishes, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free, and offer a bigger drinks selection specialising in tequila but also including traditional favourites like cocktails, vodkas, and gins.

It is a dream come true for the couple who had always wanted to open their own restaurant after setting up their takeaway in Yorkshire Street, with Rachel saying: "We literally outgrew it within months. We didn’t have the capacity to keep up. It’s always been our dream to get to this point but we never expected to get here within a year.

"We had been looking for months at different places to expand into but nothing felt like us. When we walked in [the St James’s Street venue] with its rustic feel, everything about it was perfect. There is parking in Keirby Walk and the footfall is unbelievable. We couldn’t be in a better spot.”

The new venture was meant-to-be, with Jonnie revealing that the former owner of The Hideaway had previously considered calling it The Hatch, and vice versa.

Rachel added: “We couldn’t believe it. It was like we had the same brain.”

It seems the Burnley public also think the business and its new home are a match made in heaven as thousands took to its social media page.

"We’re starting to go viral. We had more than 3,000 new followers in three days. People have been asking about the best route from Manchester. We had people coming from Liverpool to our little old food bar. We’re helping to bring people back into the town.”

To their loyal fanbase, she added: "I want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us to make this happen. To give birth, open a business and expand in a year is the most surreal feeling in the world. We’re worn out but we couldn’t be more happy. We started this off in our kitchen and now we’re expanding and not stopping. We’re already ahead of our five-year plan.

"If you haven’t tried us before, get yourself down. We already have people trying to book tables of 10. I think we’re going to be fully booked.”

The public is invited to a launch celebration from 7-30pm on Friday, August 18th, with ribbon-cutting, live entertainment, and “some wild and wonderful things happening.

"We can’t wait for everyone to come. We’re going to open with a bang.”

The restaurant officially opens for sit-down dining on Friday, August 25th from noon.

The trial opening hours will be: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, noon to midnight; and Sunday, noon to 9pm.