An Italian ‘to go’ eatery is gearing up to open in Reading town centre.
Coco di Mama is an Italian take out brand that specialises in pasta, dishes, sandwiches, lasagnas, soups and sweet treats to diners.
It is set to open in Broad Street in the old Ecco shoe store in the eastern part of the town centre.
Plans for Coco di Mama were first revealed in a planning application submitted in the summer.
Although that application was withdrawn because of incorrect information, a spokesperson confirmed that the chain is committed to opening in Reading, and could even open later this month.
The spokerson said: “We’re really excited to come to Reading.
“We will probably be opening at the end of November, we think that will be the date we’ll be going in.
“We’ve never opened a store outside London.
“Obviously its exciting to move out of London, we have looked at opening in Manchester and Birmingham, and I’m sure we will later on down the line, but we think people in Reading will be more familiar with the brand having seen it in the capital on visits and as commuters.
“It’s an interesting town we think will be full of good Coco di Mama customers.”
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Now, the people behind Coco di Mama have applied for advertising consent and a licence to have outdoor seating.
The advertising application, Reading planning reference 221470, shows black, white and red branding, inviting customers to enjoy hot breakfast, Italian lunches and speciality coffee.
Kevin Haines from Thames Valley Police urged that illuminations from Coco di Mama be limited.
Commenting on the application, PC Haines said: “The building this proposal is planned in sits next to a key camera.
“Images from this camera are already heavily disrupted by multiple lights sources in this area.
“Therefore any and all illuminated signage, unnecessary illumination and anything else similar must be kept to an absolute minimum please, especially outside of business hours.”
You can view the application by typing in the reference above into the council’s planning portal.
Coco di Mama has also applied for a street pavement café licence, which would allow customers to enjoy food and drinks in Broad Street.
The chain has applied for licence from 10am to 11pm from Monday to Sunday.
The Coco di Mama brand is owned by the Azzuri Group, which also operates Zizzi and Ask Italian.
People in Reading are currently only able to enjoy Coco di Mama food for delivery, as menu items are prepared and cooked from the Zizzi in The Oracle for delivery via the JustEat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo apps.
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