NEGOTIATIONS between a resturanteur and the owner of the building that formerly housed The Fig has stalled.
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Gabriel Darzi owns the Sicilian restaurants in Taree and Forster and "desperately" wanted to bring his franchise to Port Macquarie.
He pegged the Town Green site as an ideal location to open his restaurant.
In a bonus to the employees affected by The Fig's sudden closure back in May this year, Mr Darzi said he would give them all jobs if a deal could be struck and he could set up business at the prime CBD site.
"If we opened up there we would need something like 50 employees," he said.
"We would give everyone a job that lost it there, and then employ even more people.
"It would benefit everyone, the town and all.
"We just want to come there and open our doors."
Mr Darzi said other small local businesses would feel the flow on effect from the restaurant's presence.
"We would use all local suppliers and support local shops and businesses like butchers," he said. "The town is missing out by not having us there."
He said there was a timeline on coming to Port Macquarie and said if he was unable to open a franchise in the town by September it would be a "long time" before the idea would be revisited. Instead, he said he would expand to Coffs Harbour.
He said he was waiting to see if his offer would be accepted by the building's owner but admitted they had reached "a bit of a stalemate".
"Just this past week we've had around 50 calls from people in Port Macquarie wanting to book in for our grand opening," he said.
"But I've had to tell them there is no opening yet because we don't have a place."
