New Rustington restaurant: Bangerz ‘n’ Burgerz is coming to Rustington and some of the best street artists on the south coast are decorating the restaurant

Some of the best street artists on the south coast are decorating a new Rustington restaurant with their colourful artwork.
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Led by Mark Jones, a Southsea artist known as Fark, the team is covering the walls and ceiling of the former HSBC bank building ahead of the opening of Bangerz ‘n’ Burgerz Rustington.

Husband-and-wife team James and Echo Stone have used Fark as their art director on their previous five Bangerz ‘n’ Burgerz restaurants and are excited to launch their sixth in The Street.

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Fark said it will be colourful and distinctive, and with a full glass frontage, it will draw the eyes of passers by.

Southsea artist Fark, who is leading the team of street artists, is known for his distinctive birds. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301Southsea artist Fark, who is leading the team of street artists, is known for his distinctive birds. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301
Southsea artist Fark, who is leading the team of street artists, is known for his distinctive birds. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301

He explained: “I worked with James on his first restaurant and got various artists in. We have become a team now, though it does change a little by location, as it is nice to get local people in.

“So many people don’t see the amount of time and effort that goes into it. Everything is done by hand. It is very different to anything else in Rustington.

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“What is nice for the village is something new and vibrant opening, something positive at the tail end of all this stuff going on. It is brilliant for everybody. It caters for all age groups and for anyone into art, hopefully it might inspire people to get into something that they like.”

The old bank vault has been kept and is being turned into a child safe room. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301The old bank vault has been kept and is being turned into a child safe room. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301
The old bank vault has been kept and is being turned into a child safe room. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301

Fark is known for his distinctive birds and has painted a jolly gull for the Rustington restaurant, alongside isometric pattern work by SNUB from Brighton.

An American-style diner, the restaurant will be similar to the other Bangerz ‘n’ Burgerz in Chichester, Havant, Brighton and Portsmouth, where there are two.

James said: “I moved to America for quite a while and got into the quality that they have there. I was in Wynwood in Miami, where they are really into street art.

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“We are an arty family but I am the only one who can’t draw at all, so I have brought in a team of local artists to paint the restaurants.”

The old safe was dug out of concrete and will be kept in the restaurant as a feature. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301The old safe was dug out of concrete and will be kept in the restaurant as a feature. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301
The old safe was dug out of concrete and will be kept in the restaurant as a feature. Picture: Steve Robards SR2112301

James is from Chichester and has always known of Rustington but said he did not know it well until recently.

He explained: “It has really come to life over the years. We came over on a few reccies to get to know the village and once we did, we really wanted to be here.”

James and Echo said Sarah Wickens, director at Store Property, which owns Rustington Shopping Centre, had been very supportive of their plans.

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James added: “We don’t buy anything new unless we have to, we recycle and repurpose everything. The old safe was stuck in concrete but we dug it out. It will be used for the menus, etc.

“I also wanted to keep the bank vaults. We are making the doorway look rusty and turning it into a child safe room. We want it to look like it had been left in the ocean for 50 years.

“I have gathered a lovely bench from a broken down pub and pews from a church. It will have a casual feel and at the front there will be bifold doors leading to the outside area.”

SNUB’s iconic image is his giant robot and this has been incorporated into the design for the child safe room.

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Portsmouth artist Chris Reeves is in charge of the ceiling, where he is including the names of all the staff in his subway art, a graffiti style that is colourful and draws the eye.

Chris said: “I have worked on all the Bangerz ‘n’ Burgerz restaurants. The idea is to make a feature of the ceiling because no one else does it. I tend to tailor each one to the location but a lot of it is done on autopilot.”

The restaurant will serve food like hot dogs, burgers and chicken wings with craft beers and cocktails.

James said: “We have no opening date yet but really hope to try to open on Valentine’s Day. With everything going on, I don’t want to push it but we might start with a delivery service before February 14.”

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