Four Star Pizza plans to open a new restaurant in St. George's later this summer - despite a string of bureaucratic hurdles.

Company president Marico Thomas has set his sights on an August opening date.

"We're patiently excited,'' he said.

The proposal is part of an ongoing expansion and improvement to Mr. Thomas's business empire, which includes:

Somerset sandwich shop in Somerset, scheduled to open in August; and

Renovations to the House of Curry in St. George's.

The new Four Star restaurant will be on Water Street, just off the Town Square and next door to Tucker House museum.

Four Star, which began in 1990 and celebrates its 13th anniversary this November, has opened four pizzerias. It has been paying rent on its fifth location for a year.

Adding another operation will allow the company to offer Island-wide coverage from Dockyard to St. David's.

Mr. Thomas thought the second Four Star restaurant had given him an understanding of what was required in opening a new business. But establishing one in St. George's had been "another kettle of fish", he said.

The restaurateur has encountered several obstacles: the property is on a brick road, is not terribly big, and needed gas service and increased electrical capacity.

Mr. Thomas had to co-ordinate the help of Belco, Bermuda Gas, architects, the departments of Health and Planning and the Corporation of St. George's in order to dig trenches.

St. George's Mayor Henry Hayward pointed to another difficulty.

The location of the new restaurant fell within a preservation area which approximately spanned Rose Hill on west side going North as far as Church Folly Lane to the bottom Barritt Hill, he said.

Plans have to be submitted for changes "as simple as changing a blind or the colour of a building", Mr. Hayward added. He said all plans made to alter a building must be approved by the St. George's Preservation Authority, which functions to protect the historic significance of the architecture of the buildings located in that area. Said Mr. Thomas: "Throw those other wrinkles in there and it has been interesting.''

He quickly added that the company blamed no one and simply anticipated the restaurant's opening.

While St. George's residents bide their time until things are up and running, they can visit The House of Curry, located on York Street between the St. George's Police Station and Music Box.

The House of Curry is a spin-off from the Village Grill in Flatts, another one of Mr. Thomas' operations.

The Flatts operation grew out of a business idea which never took off as Mr. Thomas expected.

The proprietor of the former Chit Chat restaurant on Queen street readily offered that while tourists and expatriates "wowed" the eatery, locals never did. You cannot imagine the "look of intimidation of people's faces," he said.

But the Chit Chat staff and menu were good and both, along with that restaurant's equipment, were relocated to the Flatts operation, he said.

Mr. Thomas assessed the possibility of opening a restaurant after deciding no restaurant in the village offered Bermudian cuisine.

He opened the Village Grill to offer popular local dishes as well as international ones, which adds up to "a nice mix of food".

The restaurant's menu offers about 75 different selections, some which rotate on the daily buffet. "That's been received very nicely," he said.

However, Mr. Thomas quickly realised the Flatts operation had to be adapted to its new environment. "What we found was that the life habits of people in St. George's are not as fast or aggressive as people on the rest of the Island," Mr. Thomas said.

He reasoned St. George's residents cooked Bermudian-style food at home more often and altered the menu to provide dishes not available in the area. Changes were also made in order to meet the demand for international food since "people have been asking for them to cook Indian food," he said.

Last week The House of Curry was closed for five days to allow the company to renovate. The restaurant's space was re-organised to create more effective seating and a separate section for take-out, a tandoori oven was added and other pieces of kitchen equipment were changed.

The House of Curry has retained the popular selections from the Village Grill menu while adding three or four pages of East and West Indian and Bermudian curries.

Mr. Thomas admits the changes were somewhat self-serving.

"I love a sauce with my meal," he said. The company owner said he often eats at the Village Grill but will detour past the grill in favour of the St. George's establishment.

I will tell the Village Grill chef I have to make an inspection, he joked.

Although changes and additions are being made to company operations in the eastern sector of the Island, West End residents should not feel left out. Mr. Thomas plans to open an operation in Somerset this August. This eatery would sell wraps, sandwiches, lasagne, maybe some ribs, cakes and ice cream related desserts, he said.

The Somerset Sandwich or The Wrap Zone, he has "not really nailed down a name", would be located under the same roof of the Four Star pizza operation in Somerset. In spite of recent expansion and his new plans, Mr. Thomas readily awaits the opening of the fifth Four Star pizzeria in St. George's.