Did you know hugely successful new Hitchin business Chicken George has now opened its bar and restaurant?

The popular eatery on Bancroft has seen queues outside all summer long from hungry punters looking to sample its mouth-watering take-away chicken.

But are you aware the highly-acclaimed food outlet has recently opened its 'sit-down section'?

Owner Chris Cheah talks us through the unique decor

"We are egalitarian. Everyone is welcome," says Chris, adding: "We have graffiti on the wall from a local artist called Mr Mean.

"We have industrial style chairs – we wanted to go for a cool, urban, hip hop vibe.

"We've got classic 90s vinyl on the walls. We just wanted to go for a cool vibe – which goes back to our ethos of everyone being welcome.

"You could come in here on 'date night' with a three piece suit or walk in as a bunch of builders and have a couple of beers and a bite to eat."

As anyone who has tasted the succulent fayre from Chicken George will attest, the food is exceptional.

No wonder the store has won a raft of awards – including the UK's best takeaway, beating off 35,000 competitors in the process. Hitchin Nub News has tracked the upward trajectory of Chicken George since it opened with our in-depth Up Close Q&A with Chris.

But what was the reason behind such iconic decoration inside?

"Our brand is very much rooted in American black culture," says hardworking Chris, who puts in more than 70 hours work a week at his new venture in Hitchin.

"There is a lot of influence from Biggie Smalls," he adds, explaining: "It's themes are classic 90s hip hop. Our logo itself has the American Flag on it.

"Our menu is soul food, ribs, mac and cheese. On one side we have the higher end chicken shop, and on the other side we have a nightclub theme.

"We have a disco ball and when we open the bar we will black out the windows on this side and make it into a 'dark and moody' style area."