A popular Chinese and Thai restaurant has reopened after being closed for seven months.

The Orient on Middlewich Road is back open after the owners closed to take a holiday.

And the business is looking for new staff to help cope with the growing demand for people eating out and having takeaways.

A spokesperson for The Orient said the owners had waited to see the impact of the rising energy bills before taking the decision to re-open.

(Photo: Sandbach Nub News)

"We didn't want to open before Christmas but we have watched the local economy and seen that people are still eating out," said the spokesperson.

"We had to be confident that we could absorb the rising costs of energy and products.

"The cost of meat, vegetables and cooking oil is a lot more expensive than it was 18 months ago.

"We put a post on our Facebook page and we were inundated with requests for information."

The restaurant is housed in a former methodist meeting room which was gutted and turned into the popular restaurant by its owners.

"We hope to do well and continue serving the Sandbach community with good quality food," the spokesperson added.