BURGER restaurant Byron's move to Worcester has been labelled "frustrating" by the owner of another city burger joint.

Concerned Therese Gautama co-owns Friar Street restaurant Burgerworks with her husband Arvin.

The eatery opened earlier this month after the couple overhauled Puccini's in the face of the city's saturated Italian market.

Byron's move into Cathedral Plaza, which was revealed yesterday (October 29), has come as a blow for the Gautamas, who had styled Burgerworks as the city's only dedicated burger restaurant.

Mrs Gautama said: "I'm disenchanted with things because the chains can afford to take losses and afford to pay higher rents and rates.

"I just don't think it has been considered what this does to the little guys.

"It's very hard to compete with [chains'] marketing power and their image.

"It's frustrating and we have to take it on the chin, but we wonder whether Worcester can sustain all these chains.

"We have to hope we can do well and make a name for ourselves, so the impact will hopefully be lessened [when Byron opens]."

London-based Byron has signed up for a 4,392 sq ft restaurant in the mall and will move in within 18 months.

Work is due to start on the revamp of Cathedral Plaza in the second quarter of 2015, with the retail and leisure scheme scheduled to open in 2016.

Mrs Gautama said she was worried by the increasing number of chains opening in Worcester and questioned whether the city could maintain a balance between independents and chains.

"If you look at the way some of the other smaller cities have done it, they have broken things up and got a good balance," she said.

"But I think in Worcester the balance is going to be lost.

"Worcester is growing but I don't think it's grown enough for the amount of chains that are being put in.

"We're concerned about that but we have to keep trying and hope that doesn't happen and people see sense."

Councillor Marc Bayliss, Worcester City Council’s cabinet member for economic prosperity, said he accepted Mrs Gautama's concerns but the authority could not prevent restaurants moving into the city.

He said: "It's a difficult one because restaurants are in a competitive marketplace and we can't stop anybody setting up in business to deliver one sort of food or another.

"I'm very much in favour of independent restaurants and retailers but I'm afraid local authorities have no powers to regulate competition.

"I understand the concerns and I'm very grateful that we've got some good, strong independent food outlets in the city and I'm keen to see them thrive and see more of them."