Ed’s Easy Diner has closed at what locals know as “the NIA”
Thousands of Ghost fans queue to enter the Utilita Arena on April 20, 2025(Image: Kirsty Bosley)
A restaurant chain has closed its Birmingham Utilita Arena branch after ten years.
Ed’s Easy Diner has occupied one of the prominent units outside what locals often refer to as “the NIA” since 2015.
The American-style burger joint closed this past week, listing it as ‘permanently closed’ on Google and removing the store from their branch locator on the Ed’s website.
Read more: Fans of ‘British-best’ bakery in Birmingham say ‘we missed you’ as it reopens
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The restaurant is situated on what the arena calls its ‘boardwalk’, alongside Mooncat, Costa and Legoland Discovery Centre.
Sommar Brewery had a taproom at the canalside location until February this year when it shut down too.
Customers were leaving reviews for the restaurant right up until a week ago when two customers gave it glowing five-star reviews.
Overall, it had a 4.1 star rating out of five, due in part to the convenience of its location for pre-show meals.
Signage has already appeared in the windows announcing what the site will become.
In what will be no surprise to Brummies who have been keeping abreast of new openings in the city centre over the last 12 months, a chicken shop has set its sights on the venue.
Slim Chickens will open a new location in the old Ed’s Easy Diner spot, its second branch in the city centre after the Grand Central location.
The city now has what is jokingly referred to locally as a ‘Chicken Quarter‘, with Nando’s, Popeyes, Wing Stop and KFC occupying a short stretch of New Street.
It was revealed last month that another chicken shop, Dave’s Hot Chicken, would be opening its first branch of New Street too.
As well as a Grand Central spot, Slim Chickens also operates out of the food court at Sainsbury’s in Selly Oak.