Beano celebrates 70 years of the beloved character this year, and where better to mark the occasion than with a seven-week summer party at Wimpy restaurants nationwide.

The partnership between the two British heritage brands will see a veritable feast of fun, games and competitions kicking off on 19 July, featuring Dennis and his dog Gnasher, alongside fellow Beanotown friends Minnie, Toots and Plug.

The promotion sees Wimpy partnering with Beano Studios, whose Franchise Planning and Partnerships Director, Vanessa Andreis, said: “Bringing generations of families together to celebrate Dennis has been at the heart of our celebrations during this special 70th year. We’re can’t wait for families to come and join Dennis for a blamtastic party this summer.”

To mark the special occasion, Wimpy is dishing up specially created Beano goodies for its younger customers to enjoy whilst visiting the restaurants, including a Beano character headband, collectible badge, activity sheet and sticker packs.

There’s also the chance to win an amazing money-can’t-buy prize, with a social media competition to win a family portrait by one of the Beano artists, together with runners-up prizes of Beano goodie bags.

Customers at Wimpy Ashford, Middlesex, were in for a surprise when they stepped through the doors this week to see a new-look interior following a major makeover during lockdown. Wimpy Ashford now boasts a bright and modern atmosphere, with new booth-style seating, bright colours and artwork on the walls. The Church Road restaurant first opened in 2013 and now has indoor seating for up to 77 diners, as well as catering for takeaway and delivery customers.

Excited staff at Wimpy Beckenham were finally able to welcome customers through the doors to show off the restaurant’s spacious new look, including a variety of comfy seating areas, USB charging points at the tables, bright colours and artwork on the walls. With 70 covers, the restaurant returns to its usual seven-day-a-week opening

A major refurbishment programme has been completed for two Wimpy restaurants in Colchester, and King's Lynn in Norfolk.

The move underlines franchisee Raj Bhangal’s faith and commitment to the much-loved Wimpy brand, especially at such a difficult time for the hospitality industry.

“The last few months have certainly been challenging,” said Raj. “We felt this was exactly the right time to take advantage of a quieter period to carry out the refurbishment work, so we can be ready as diners return to the high street. Investing in the new branding is really exciting for us and we can’t wait to show it off.

Both restaurants have seen the introduction of Wimpy UK’s new SHIFT Design, building on the brand’s strong heritage and much-loved traditions.

Your safety is our priority. We have implemented a range of operational changes and protective measures across our restaurants and express sites to keep customers and employees safe.

We have introduced capacity limits and social distancing; we are fitting protective screens at our counters; availability of protective workwear for our teams; additional, more frequent, cleaning measures; availability of hand sanitiser; encouragement of contactless card payment. Where applicable, restaurants are operating contact-free delivery, takeaway and in-store collection.

There may also be a difference in the menu offerings across our various menu channels. We will be offering a reduced table service menu until further notice. Menus will be available at the restaurant or can be viewed on our website.

A smart, new-look Wimpy Borehamwood reopened for business on Wednesday (April 29), offering takeaway and home delivery services.

It’s a welcome return to the town for franchisees, the Bastug family, who have just invested in a major makeover for the restaurant.

Tuguy Bastug, the third generation of his family to run the Wimpy, said: “The new look is 100% amazing and it is even better than we could have imagined. Adopting the SHIFT design is a whole a new chapter, we’re very proud at what we’ve achieved and can’t wait to start cooking again.

The team at Wimpy Upminster has cooked up a fantastic way to say a massive Wimpy thank you to NHS staff at both Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

Over the last three weeks, they have produced and hand-delivered a very welcome feast of some 300 meals for the two hospitals and plan more deliveries next week.

Franchisee Berkant Okatan, who has been working with his landlord Dev Gill, also a former Wimpy franchisee, to donate and deliver the meals, said: “All the NHS workers are doing such a fantastic job and we wanted to be able to support them during these difficult times."

Wimpy opened its doors in Orpington on Easter Monday (April 13) for the first time in 35 years.

Due to the current coronavirus ‘lockdown’ it will be offering a takeaway service from its new High Street premises and home delivery services via Deliveroo.

Joint franchisee Nico Sokoli, an experienced chef and manager, will be running the new Wimpy operation.

He said: “We’re thrilled and delighted to be bringing Wimpy back to Orpington. Obviously it won’t be the big grand opening that we had initially planned, but we think providing a takeaway and home delivery service for local people is really important right now.

Wimpy Strood re-opened its doors this November, after a major refurbishment to Wimpy’s smart new SHIFT interior design.

The restaurant, which can seat up to 62 diners, is under new management and employs six staff. Work has included completely revamping the customer seating area with new furniture, the new colour scheme and lighting, and redeveloping the toilets.

Among the improvements are the installation of USB charging points in the new booth areas and the introduction of a new till system to speed up ordering times.

To coincide with the opening, Wimpy Strood is also launching a new home delivery service, working with Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

Wimpy UK has launched its first ever staff reward scheme, recognising the achievements of staff employed across its restaurants nationwide.

Wimpy Icons rewards special success in four categories: Ability & Skill; Behaviour & Attitude; Customer Care; and Moments That Matter. Each month Wimpy employees, from kitchen staff to front-of-house, will be eligible to be nominated for an award by their manager. If they win, they will be given a unique pin badge to wear which reflects their success, as well as a £50 voucher of their choosing.

Wimpy General Manager, Chris Woolfenden, said: “This November, we are excited to launch a scheme that allows all restaurant staff the opportunity to be rewarded by the Wimpy brand and literally wear their achievements with pride."

Wimpy UK has adopted the European Chicken Commitment (ECC). This decision builds on its stated commitment to recognise the importance of higher welfare standards for chickens and also underlines its desire to source food sustainably.  

By signing up to the ECC Wimpy commit to exclusively sourcing 100% of its chicken from suppliers who meet or exceed the standards set out in the ECC by 2026.

All chicken products currently on the Wimpy menu are sourced from an approved, reputable supplier and meet current EU animal welfare laws and regulations.

This move further underlines its commitment to animal welfare and follows its decision in January 2018 to only use free range eggs for all our own label products on the menu.

Sauce lovers are in for a treat as Wimpy launches its iconic own-brand Wimpy Special Sauce and Wimpy Tomato Ketchup onto the retail market for the first time. The 500ml bottles are now available to buy in the majority of Wimpy restaurants.

Wimpy General Manager, Chris Woolfenden, said: “Our Special Sauce and Ketchup have added the proverbial ‘icing on the cake’ to our breakfasts, burgers and grills for decades. Customers are always asking why they can’t buy a bottle and we finally decided it was time offer them as an early Christmas treat.

Launched in 1989 with a secret recipe, over 25,000 litres of Wimpy Special Sauce are used in the UK’s casual dining chain restaurants every year, while Wimpy Tomato Ketchup has been a true family favourite since day one, with more than 35,000 litres used in Wimpy’s UK restaurants every year.

All own label Wimpy products and all shell eggs supplied through the Wimpy distribution channel are now free range.  Wimpy further committed to switching to cage-free alternatives on the remaining small number of non-own label products that contain egg ingredients on its menu. This will be in place by 2025 at the latest but continues to work closely with its third party suppliers in order to achieve this change at the earliest opportunity.