California style diner opens in Wokingham Town Hall

Diners in the town first got an exciting glimpse of what the restaurant would look like last November.

Now ‘RYND’ (pronounced ‘rhi-nd’) in Wokingham has opened its doors to visitors, promising them Californian inspired dining and cocktails.

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Co-owner Jay Robinson said the team have been swept off their feet since they opened around four weeks ago.

Mr Robinson said: “We’ve had an overwhelming turnout to start with.

“We’re brand new, in a brand new location, a new kitchen. It still turned out to be incredibly busy.”

He expressed that him and the team wanted to keep things lowkey but the word got out and the diner is now regularly full.

Mr Robinson said: “We’ve got to a point where a lot of people know we’re here from our socials and on our website.”

He is joined by fellow owner Tom Anderson, who headed the first iteration of RYND in Reading until its closure in August 2016.

The one in Wokingham has been billed as a California style diner, which has been inspired by the owner’s travels.

RYND looking particularly 'Californian' on a hot summers day in Wokingham. Credit: Emma Pharaoh

“My background is in graphic design, and I’ve got some experience in hospitality from friends and family, and I’ve been around Tom for a good 12 years now. I’ve been working with him for a long time, mostly doing the creative side of stuff for his donut stalls.

“Then we decided to a joint project with RYND. He’s been to LA many times, we both like the style, it’s a lot more laid back and informal.

“That’s the vibe we wanted to bring to Wokingham and so far it’s been received really well.”

He added that RYND has been at capacity on every weekend since its opening, albeit with coronavirus safety measures in place.

Mr Robinson said: “We have got Covid blocks so our capacity has been lowered, but we’re still going to keep the blocks for now because it keeps visitors feeling safe, but we have been very busy.”

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RYND has taken over The Courtyard restaurant which closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and never reopened.

It shares the Town Hall with the Town Council and the long running Piccolo Arco Italian restaurant.

RYND is open from 11am to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 11am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11am to 10.30pm on a Sunday.