THE team at The Three Pears Beefeater in Worcester welcomed their first customers inside when the restaurant re-opened after a £550,000 refurbishment.

In a change to the traditional guard of honour, the restaurant's grill chefs linked cooking tools when the doors were opened to celebrate the arrival of the new chargrill on Friday.

The refurbished Three Pears features spacious leather booth-style seating areas and also offers a traditional menu.

Yvette Newey, manager at The Three Pears Beefeater, said: "I'm thrilled to be able to unveil the new-look restaurant.

"The whole building has had a complete makeover, and TV's Colin & Justin and Linda Barker would be proud of it.

"We've recruited around 20 additional team members for a variety of roles in the restaurant. All the team have undergone extensive training over the last month.

"Char-grilling is now the order of the day in our restaurant and will be at the heart of Beefeater's award- winning steaks and grill menu."

The transformation is part of a £45 million investment programme to roll out the future face of Beefeater across the country.