Town centre restaurant still closed one month on with reopening date uncertain
Pepe's Piri Piri, located on the corner of Commercial Road and Regent Street in Swindon town centre, is a popular fast food chain with 235 branches nationwide.
The spicy chicken restaurant has been a staple in Swindon for several years, but in July 2025 the company announced it was shutting its doors for a long-awaited refurbishment.
An announcement issued by Pepe's on July 15 simply stated: "We are closed for renovation".
Pepe's Piri Piri remains closed (Image: Newsquest)
The company promises it will reopen 'soon' (Image: Newsquest)
Work is now well underway at the Swindon store, with decorators and contractors seen inside the shop, and materials left outside the front door.
However, with the temporary closure having now reached week five, the re-opening date for Pepe's remains unknown.
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Signs hung on the door of the store read: "We are closed while we improve your restaurant. We look forward to welcoming you back very soon. Apologies for any inconvenience."
However, no official reopening date has been given, and efforts by the Swindon Advertiser to contact the store have been unsuccessful.
The Regent Street restaurant has faced repeated issues with its town centre location in the past, after being targeted by burglars four times in 2019.
Pepe's Piri Piri is not only refreshing its Swindon store, but has also shown its popularity with multiple new branches having opened across the country this summer.
Four new Pepe's restaurants opened in July 2025, in Edinburgh, Clapham, Chingford and Chesterfield, with several more towns and cities earmarked to receive new branches of the chicken shop later this year.
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