A NEW burger restaurant is the latest attraction to open on Southend’s landmark pier, with bosses insisting it has already proved a huge hit with customers.

The Pier Burger Hut is now officially open at the end of the world famous attraction, following a series of improvements by Southend Council.

The council has invested a whopping £336,000 in the pier, with the restaurant at the end of the pier revamped and work set to take place on a new viewing platform and improved toilets.

New all-electric pier trains were also unveiled earlier this year.

Lauryn Potter, manager of The Pier Burger Hut, said she is over the moon with business so far, following delays caused by the Covid pandemic.

She said: “It was something we were going to do last year, as we were looking to come out of Covid and we wanted to give people something different, but it just didn’t happen in the end.

“Now the weather and everything is so much better and it’s been great so far. We offer great quality beef and chicken burgers for our customers.

“The hut was already there but has had a redesign and the whole project has cost a few thousand pounds with a small kitchen area fitted.

“Now we can offer meal deals and 100 per cent beef burgers - and everything else is sourced from the area too so it’s all Southend produce.

“We had our opening last weekend and the trade was really good and very busy.

There’s already quite a lot on this part of pier but the new business really held its own.”

Last month the new electric trains opened to the public, the vehicles, in classic cream and green, had their first visitors and passengers after months of testing.

Miss Potter added: “It’s all about visitor attraction and giving people who come to the pier what they want to see and burgers are very popular.

“We have created three new jobs so far but around the time of the Queen’s Jubilee we will be looking to open full-time and will be taking on more staff.”