The restaurant that could be taking over the gateway entrance to Birmingham city centre can be revealed.

And it’s a move that could delight half the city – and potentially disappoint others.

In the glum corner will be those who like to see independent business thriving and Michelin stars glowing in the night sky.

But anyone who loves chicken with an African twist will be over the moon.

That’s because the former Halifax bank where Victoria Square meets New Street is set become... a Nando’s.

View inside the former Halifax as work begins to transform it into a Nando's
View inside the former Halifax as work begins to transform it into a Nando's

Not only that but the Waterloo House site will be the international company's ninth restaurant in Birmingham, enabling fans to eat in a different restaurant every day for a week and then some - if approved by the council.

A planning application to create a sunken plant deck, condenser units and extraction flue in the Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area has been submitted to Birmingham City Council, with public comments required by June 7, 2018.

The basement is going to converted in to a gym that will be run by a separate company.

View of Waterloo House from the upper end of New Street
View of Waterloo House from the upper end of New Street

Part of the Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area, Halifax closed the prestigious site on the Victoria Square corner of New Street a year ago.

Existing restaurants nearby include Wildwood, Byron Burger, Wagamama, Ask Italian restaurant, Pure Craft Bar & Kitchen, Nosh & Quaff, Pieminister and Adam’s restaurant which has a Michelin star

Nearby coffee shops include Starbucks, Java Lounge, Costa, Pret A Manger, Second Cup and Eat.

What is Nando’s?

A New Street view of the new Nando's
A New Street view of the new Nando's

The company was founded in South Africa in 1987 two friends – audio engineer Fernando Duarte and entrepreneur Robert Brozin.

They went to eat at a Portuguese takeaway called Chickenland in Rosettenville, a suburb of Johannesburg.

Piri-Piri sauce from Nando's

Their food was cooked in Portuguese chilli sauce called piri-piri – Swahili for ‘pepper-pepper’ – made from a pepper of the same name grown in Mozambique.

They they liked it so much they bought the restaurant – renaming it after Fernando’s first-born son.

The first UK Nando’s was opened in Ealing in 1992.

Today the company has more than 1,000 restaurants in more than 30 countries across five continents.

In 2017, Nando’s Chickenland Limited reported revenue of £648.8m compared with £602m for 2016.

Quarter chicken breast with chips

Thanks to an increase in gross profit and a restructuring of central costs, pre-tax profits were up by £8.6 million to £87.8 million even though the gross profit margin was down one per cent to 26 per cent.

The number of UK restaurants increased year on year from 352 to 369 with the company reporting that they were all “delivering favourable results.”

Where are the city’s other Nando’s?

Tasty Plaice (right) is next to Nando's in Grand Central
Nando's is next door to Tasty Plaice in Grand Central

The company has restaurants at the Bullring, Grand Central, Bishopsgate Street next to Cineworld Broad Street, Mailbox, Star City, The Fort, Resorts World and Shirley.

What is Nando’s secret?

Jaykae treating fans to a meal at Nando's in Grand Central in 2017
Jaykae treating fans to a meal at Nando's in Grand Central in 2017

The company offers a cross between fastfood destinations like McDonald’s and KFC and more upmarket restaurants – so you get a restaurant feel only with quicker service.

The chicken is fresh, not frozen, and marinated overnight in peri-peri.

The then Prime Minister David Cameron went to Nando’s in Bristol in 2013 and said he wished he could take world leaders to lunch there.

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In the same year, President Obama recognised the company’s success when he addressed the University of Cape Town in 2013, saying: “In America, we see the reach of your culture — we’ve got a Nando’s a couple of blocks from the White House.”

Last year Birmingham grime artist Jaykae treated fans to a meal at Nado’s Grand Central.

In April this year at a Commonwealth event, Prince William also said he was a fan.

Having been told about the company by his police protection officer, Prince William was reported to have told co-founder Robert Brozin: “This man here is your biggest fan, he’s introduced me to Nandos. It’s very good. He should buy a stake in Nandos.”

Other celebrities who enjoy Nando’s are said to include Ed Sheeran, Lewis Hamilton, Prince Harry and David Beckham.