The 95-cover restaurant, which the pair will run under franchise, will be the fourth Tiger Bills to open in the UK, following the opening of sites in Torquay and Exeter by brand owner Lifestyle Hospitality Group (LHG)and in Birmingham by franchisee Craig Lewis earlier this year.
Rahman and Hasan, who have both put their legal careers on hold to run the restaurant, will open the new site in early October following the completion of an £80k re-brand of the Indian-Italian restaurant owned by Rahman.
East meets West
Rahman, who has been taking a more active role in managing his family's hospitality businesses following the death of his father, said he'd been attracted by the 'East meets West' dining concept which was established by James Eyre in 2007 and was keen to take on the franchise when he heard about it.
“This is a growing brand and we thought it would be perfect for us as there really is nothing else like it,” he said.
“Tiger Bills’ appeal lies in the fact that there are two very distinct cuisines for people to choose from,” added Hasan.
“So we really believe that there will be something to please everyone and that it will offer something that the North East has never seen before.”
Tiger Bills serves a range of Western dishes such as steaks, burgers and ribs alongside an extensive Thai menu featuring soups, curries and stir fries. Main dishes average £7. The North Tyneside restaurant will only uses halal met with beef or lamb used as a substitute for pork in relevant dishes.
Earlier this year Eyre told BigHospitality he was looking at sites in 24 locations across the UK for the brand with Midlands-based franchisee Lewis already planning to open up to 12. His Birmingham site is expected to be followed by two more this year - in Worcester and Shrewsbury.