THE VOICE OF THE UK KEBAB INDUSTRY Issue No. 2

FORTY NEW TAKEAWAYS A DAY

IF YOU HAVE A KEBAB, PUT IT IN A PITTA!

A KEBAB RESTAURANT FIFTY YEARS AGO! MAYOR OF HARINGEY JENNIFER MANN HARINGEY OF MAYOR

DISCOVER HOW KEBAB CHANGED AN ORDINARY STREET IN NORTH

WELCOME

CONTENTS The Great British

05 What is the kebab? Kebab staff shortage 07 Forty takeaways launch per day 08 One of first doner shops in the UK eaders will be The shortage of interested employees in the 10 The biggest pitta to learn sector has reached producer of the UK that due to a serious level. At the failures of present the primary Online food delivery R 12 chain restaurants, problem of many grows the number of kebab businesses 16 The centre of kebab; independent and entrepreneurs Green Lanes takeaways and mobile is a lack of staff. food stands are increasing. Thousands of operators, 32 Living wage to rise by According to Companies House chefs and kebab masters who 6.2% 2019 data, more than fourteen are opening restaurants have a thousand new takeaway food hard time finding an experienced 38 Takeaway facing staff shops opened last year. waiter, and the government's sortage Many of these new businesses arrangement to bring staff from are now facing a huge challenge, abroad with a salary of at least 44 The world's biggest staff shortages. £30,000 a year is not fair or kebab chain Food businesses as well as affordable for far lower income the hospitality industry as a businesses. The government 46 Is 2020 the year of the whole are facing one of the needs a more supportive falafel most serious workforce crises approach to businesses that in recent times. Thousands of make an economic contribution immigrants returning home of billions annually to UK www.britshish.com coupled with a decrease in the economy. BritShish Publishing number of immigrants coming Many kebab restaurants in from countries such as Bulgaria, particular are family-owned. Editors Romania and Poland because Although they are often Timur Ekingen, of concerns around Brexit, have important and qualified staff, Edward Rowe, Michael Daventry caused a huge deficit in the new generations in family [email protected] sector. businesses are often not The shortage of staff also makes interested in these types of jobs. Design & Production Mustafa Arabul an impact on kebab businesses. Business owners who try to sell Firat Hayta, Erel Gerger While the wages of kitchen traditional meals which require [email protected] and grill chefs have doubled specialist preparation are often compared to a few years ago, forced to close down if they Contributors newly opened workplaces are cannot recruit chefs with the Elif Sule Keles, Ceren Gunel, also intensifying the shortage right skills. Leyla Alp, Ozlem Aytekin, Erman Koparan of table staff. The shortage of Training new staff and lobbying available labour exacerbated the government on this matter Advertising & Sales by the decline in the number has become one of the top Zeynep Fesli of Eastern European migrants, priority needs of the sector. The [email protected] many of whom work in food Kebab Industry needs to act now, businesses has caused operating before it is too late. Published By BritShish Limited costs to rise. A large number of 7a Grovelands Road, N13 4RJ Telephone 02088862999 businesses are at risk of closure, Best, Email [email protected] especially in small residential areas. Timur Ekingen

BRITSHISH 3 SLICES FOR UNBELIEVABLE MELT AMAZING TASTE

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“You say kebab, we say yeeros...” Definition of Kebab xford dictionary definition: a dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted or grilled on a skewer or Ospit. The origin of the word kebap - the Turkish word - is from kabāb and can be traced back to Mesopotamia. The word itself, therefore, would have arrived in Turkey though the Urdu and Persian languages before finding common pronunciation in the Turkish language. Its original meaning, in its simplest form is: meat cooked with flames. the origins of the dish itself, believed is defined in the to be a method born out of necessity. Oxford Dictionary as a Turkish dish Cooking fuel, like wood, was sparse consisting of spiced lamb, cooked on in the Middle East hence the meat a spit and served in slices, typically was cut up in smaller pieces to save with pitta bread. which means ‘rotating’ / ‘roast meat’. on energy. The term, and the style of cooking, is a combination of these The cooked meat has long been is widely believed to have originated two roots. served on plates, in , or in from Bursa. Haci İskender, whose In English, kebab, with no bowls. family still serves the dish, was said qualification, generally refers more The traditional meat for kebab to have come up with the vertical specifically to shish kebab, derived is lamb, although local tastes and cooking technique during the late- from the Turkish şiş kebap, which religious prohibitions mean that it Ottoman period. again owes its roots to the Middle may now be beef, goat, chicken or By then kebabs were already very Eastern word kabāb, passed into fish. Like many other dishes, kebab much part of Turkish cuisine with the Turkish language through the has become an international cuisine, Fatih Sultan Mehmet known to Persian sheesh kabob. Again the finding popularity around the globe. a kebab a day. A special section of meaning is literal: chunks of meat on Today the meat is often marinated the Topkapi Palace kitchen was a skewer. in yogurt and flavoured with bell separated for the specific task of This is paired with the second pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. cooking this new delicacy. part of the term kabob which means Cinnamon, coriander seeds and The word is also word, cooked over or next to a flame. There pomegranate juice might also be šāwirma (shawarma), originating can be an emphasis placed on the added for extra flavour. There are from the Turkish word döner kebap meat being “small”, which hints at similar dishes cooking methods across Europe but there are distinctions. For instance, doner is different to gyros- the Greek pork spit that contains ample amounts of oregano and is served in bigger chunks than doner which is cut very thinly. An important factor in cutting doner, is to avoid pressing the knife on the spit otherwise the fat will be pushed out and the meat will become dry as it rotates.

BRITSHISH 5 6 BRITSHISH SECTOR

London had the highest number of new company formations with 221,373 companies registered, Forty followed by second city Birmingham (14,509) and Manchester (9,064). However, Bournemouth and Poole – acknowledged to be the wealthiest takeaways places in England – were in sixth place trumping Liverpool and Edinburgh as entrepreneurial hotspots. Nationally, there are now 105,410 launch per day foodie businesses across the UK. That’s up from 103,615 in 2018, and is round 40 new takeaways companies, and 347 distillery an increase of 45 per cent since 2010, launched every day in 2019. businesses also launched in the year. when there were just 72,580. Food delivery and street- Despite the overall increase in food start-ups received a restaurants across the county, a The rising popularity of Ahuge boost in the UK as records show number of food chains have been Street food that 53% more take-away food shops hit hard over the last few years with Street food in particular has and mobile street vendors opened the likes of , Giraffe, Jamie’s been the source of great influence than licensed restaurants in 2019. Italian, Cafe Rouge, Loch Fyne, pulling for both foodservice and retail in As evidence of the impact that out of towns. recent years, and this will continue food delivery start-ups and street These are some of the findings of to grow as increased access to these food are having, 14,363 new take- the Centre for Entrepreneurs’ sixth types of retailers shape consumers’ away food shops and mobile food annual analysis of Companies House consumption habits. stands registered in 2019, greatly data. The latest Companies House The UK street food market has outnumbering both licensed data, as analysed by the Centre, consistently grown faster than the restaurants (9,405) and unlicensed shows that business formations total market, starting from a restaurants and cafes (7,182). Ten reached a new record of 681,704 in much smaller base. It is estimated to new wine producers, 314 brewing 2019. reach a total value of £1.2bn in 2018.

BRITSHISH 7 HISTORY

NIYAZI USTA One of first doner shops in the UK

he Niyazi Steak & Kebab house was opened in 1970 on Mare Street, Hackney in East London. The doner Tkebab shop was also probably the second or third of its kind to be opened in England. At first Ali Niyazi , a Turkish entrepreneur from Cyprus and his family had a hard time getting Londoners to even enter the shop and try this new foreign food that they had never seen before, some remarking “what is that a sponge cake?” as they stared quizzically at the doner kebab in front of them. By 1976 Niyazi was the place to be, with many delicious Turkish kebab dishes on offer, including Halep (Aleppo), Bursa, shish, sheftali (peach) and kofte kebabs, not to mention excellent quality steaks and lamb chops. Complementing the excellent food was Turkish music which many Londoners had never heard before. The large restaurant Owner of Niyazi Usta, Niyazi Ali (right) used to be packed with very happy diners getting a true Turkish dining spiced with a wonderful meaty taste experience night after night. and slightly chewy melt in your mouth At that time the restaurant became texture, which many Londoners could the most popular kebab house in not get enough. Many of Niyazi’s old London, often with large queues of customers will happily testify that people waiting to be served delicious it was the best doner they have ever kebabs of various kinds. Niyazi was tasted, even to this day! most famous for the size of the doner So what was the secret behind spits that customers were served the flavour of this doner that was so from, which would usually weigh in adored by Londoners in its heyday? A excess of 450 lbs! This was ground- much older but even wiser Mr Niyazi breaking at the time, as doner spits will tell you that it is very important of that gigantic size were unheard that the quality of the meat is of an of, not just in England but probably excellent standard. He used the best worldwide! lamb shoulders with the fat added to Most importantly however, the create an even better taste from the restaurant was known for the flavour breast of the lamb. He will also tell and taste of the doner kebab, lightly you that you must never over spice

8 BRITSHISH The Niyazi Steak & Kebab House was opened in 1970 on Mare Street, Hackney in East London.

Osman Cinik (left)

doner meat, the trick is in keeping it the incredibly popular “The Best simple. Keeping spices light brings Turkish Kebab” in Stoke Newington. the flavour of the meat to the fore, Osman went on to become because the key feature of the doner undeniably one of the best doner kebab must be the meat itself. Finally chefs in the world and arguably the he will tell you to be clean, and to do a best in England. His shop’s success clean job. is unparalleled and he is famous for Niyazi’s successes have inspired making the best tasting doner in his former employees to pick up his England, as well as serving his kebabs mantle. Osman Cinik worked at the from doner spits weighing over a steak and kebab house for seven whopping 150 kg since he first opened years before opening his own shop, his fantastic take away shop in 1984.

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If you have a kebab, put in a Pitta! itta bread has long been a them serve their dishes with pitta and Mediterranean methods. Other defining feature of kebabs bread. Greek Cypriot-origin producers in Britain. Unlike other Wherever kebabs have gone in are known to have played a role in European countries where Britain, pitta has been a part of that promoting pitta in the UK too. Pkebabs are more commonly eaten journey too! While kebabs were traditionally in wraps, pitta is the flatbread of enjoyed with rice, salad and bread choice for most kebab-hungry Brits. How Pitta became part of the on the side, many kebab businesses The love affair between the British British Kebab Industry started to serve their kebab dishes kebab and pitta first started in the Early founders of the British such as doner inside small pitta early 1970s, and the pair has been Kebab Industry say that one loaves after buying Eghoyan’s inseparable ever since! particular baker played a huge role products. It was pitta that played The kebab first started to boom in paving the way for the dream team an important role in transforming in Britain in the 1990s and nowadays partnership that is the kebab in kebabs in Britain from packaged almost every single British town has pitta. takeaways and sit-down meals at least one kebab vendor, takeaway In Britain the concept of serving into the dish that busy consumers or restaurant in some shape or meat inside pitta originated with now devour while on the go. In the form. From big city high streets to the Armenian entrepreneur and 1990s, when kebab businesses were sleepy seaside towns, there are now pitta pioneer Sarkis Eghoyan who starting to mushroom up and down an estimated 17,000 kebab shops developed his own flatbread recipe the country, pitta bread was almost all over the UK and most if not all of based on traditional Middle Eastern always identified with— and more

10 BRITSHISH INTERVIEW

importantly eaten with — the iconic doner kebab. Though many pitta producers and distributors were originally Greek Cypriot, the flatbread does not originate in Cyprus. Pitta has been a traditional staple of the Middle East for as long as anyone can remember. The bread is baked round with a pocket in the middle for fillings and must be prepared using ovens at intensely high temperatures of at least 700° F (roughly 370° C). A pitta loaf’s pocket is made by steam which puffs the dough up as the bread bakes. The bread becomes flat again as it cools but leaves a pocket in the middle - ready to be filled with kebab meat and salad! The pockets in pitta bread loaves make them perfect for sandwiches, snacks, and other types of food that you eat with your hands. Pitta is especially popular with Middle Eastern dishes such as shawarma and falafel. Though originally from the Middle East as mentioned above, pitta bread is known in the UK by a Greek name. The word pitta comes from the Greek word for “flat” or “solid”. Greek pitta bread however is usually made thicker, without a pocket, and is instead wrapped around fillings as a single-layer rather than stuffed with them. Greek-style pitta is also Andrew Charalambous used for scooping up sauces and dips such as hummus or tzatziki. In changing the way in which they Andrew Junior has successfully Hollyland and Arnaouti. baked the flatbread to leave that expanded the business and taken His firm has since branched out iconic pocketed finish, British pitta over from his father, who is still from pitta and now bakes a wider producers set themselves apart from keenly interested in his son’s work. variety of flatbreads such as tortillas this style. In 2007, they bought Eghoyan’s and chapatis as well. In 2014, the Pitta Bakery and started selling the group expanded its manufacturing The Michael’s Pitta Group, bread to wholesalers, as well as to capacity by opening new factories in Britain’s Leading Pitta supermarket chains. Hertfordshire and the . Producer The young and successful The company now exports to The pitta bread sector, which businessman now distributes pitta international clients in Europe and started with Sarkis Eghoyan in the to a variety of outlets across Britain, Australia in addition to catering to 1970s, is now led by another dynamic from the national chain Marks and its traditional customer base up and entrepreneur named Andrew Spencer to the renowned London down the UK. Charalambous. cash & carry Holland Bazaar. His “British people have loved kebabs The young executive actually company, known as The Michael’s with pitta bread since the early days” represents the second generation Pitta Group has become the largest says Andrew. He is proud of his work of a bread-making family. His father, pitta producer in the country. The as a British leading pitta producer Andrew Charalambous Senior, group which includes Eghoyan’s and looks forward to continuing to made and sold pita bread with original bakery has further expanded supply this iconic flatbread to the his uncle more than 50 years ago. its operations with brands such as Kebab Industry for years to come.

BRITSHISH 11 ONLINE

Growth of online food delivery in the UK

n the UK 7.5 billion food deliveries were made in 2019, an increase in UK food deliveries of 39% in three years according to data fromI Barclaycard and UK consumer research organisation NPD Group’s report. Nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that spending on essentials declined 0.9 per cent in December Takeaway.com overall but pubs and takeaways saw substantial rises in spending. Takeaway and delivered food sales today is a major revenue stream for wins battle to the UK restaurant industry thanks to online ordering. Restaurants are benefiting significantly from soaring demand for ready-to-eat meals, buy Just Eat professionally prepared, and ordered online, to be eaten at home. akeaway.com wins battle to underestimating the investment According to the MCA Foodservice buy Just Eat needed to fend off rivals such as Delivery Report 2018, food delivery Food delivery firm Uber Eats and Amazon.com. More was worth £8.1 billion in 2018 – Takeaway.com will buy UK- than 80 per cent of Just Eat’s up +13.4% year-on-years – and basedT rival Just Eat in a £5.9bn deal shareholders have accepted the contributed to 8% of the foodservice after a bruising takeover battle. The bid, passing the threshold of 50 market. Sixty percent of UK adults are deal will create one of the world’s per cent needed to make the offer active* delivery users who, typically, largest meal delivery companies. unconditional. If the remaining people in the UK order 34 takeaways Dutch giant Takeaway.com was shareholders do not agree before 31 a year, spending between £10 and £15 bidding against tech investment firm January Takeaway can force the deal a time. Prosus. through without their backing. The merged company, which Just Eat is the market leader will be led by Takeaway chief in Britain’s rapidly expanding executive Jitse Groen, will have its food delivery market but it faces headquarters in Amsterdam and a increasing competition from rivals listing in London. such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats. The joint group will bring together Takeaway has likewise expanded businesses that process 360 million quickly in its home markets of annual orders worth €7.3bn (£6.6bn). Germany and the Netherlands and a The fight to buy Just Eat began race is now on to become the globally in August, when Takeaway struck dominant player. a management-backed deal to buy The combined firm will have 23 Just Eat that would see Takeaway subsidiaries, mostly in Europe but holding a 48% stake in the combined also in Canada, Australia and Latin firm. Prosus argued Takeaway was America.

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A takeaway plan rejected over obesity concerns council planning chief have rejected another takeaway plan for the area, citing their continued efforts Ato promote healthy eating in the town. Plans had been submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council to convert a vacant shop in the town into a hot food takeaway. Some residents and council staff raised concerns over the amount of takeaways in a small area and how this goes against council efforts to advocate healthy eating. Council planning officers moved to refuse the application for the takeaway, with concerns also raised from the ASK restaurant council’s public health department over the impact it could have over obesity in the town. The most recent data from fined over Public Health England highlights Hartlepool has around 160 hot food take-away outlets per 100,000 people, which is significantly higher ‘misleading’ than the national average of about he Italian restaurant chain This came after the lack of lobster 96. ASK has been fined for in the dish was spotted by a Trading The latest figures also show that misleading customers Standards officer during a routine 24.1% of reception age children and about a lobster dish. visit to a branch in the city. 43.8% of Year 6 pupils in Hartlepool TThe Aragosta e Gamberoni Sales of the dish amounted to £3m are classified as having excess (lobster and king prawns) dish across the UK since it was launched weight. contained a mixture of 35% lobster in 2014, though the charge spanned and 34% white fish, plus other the period between 1 December 2016 ingredients, formed to look like and 20 March 2019 - when Swansea lobster meat, an investigation has Trading Standards alerted ASK and revealed. it removed the dish from its menu. The dish, the most expensive on ASK apologised for what it the menu, retailed at £14.95 while the described as an error, and accepted cost of the raw ingredients was only that without reference to white £2.84. fish, the menu description was The chain was fined £40,000 on incomplete and likely to mislead. Tuesday for misleadingly describing It denied having a financial food. motivation and said the item had Azzuri Restaurants Limited, which the lowest profit margin of all the trades as ASK Italian, admitted the restaurant’s pasta dishes, adding charge at Swansea Magistrates’ there was no health and safety risk Court last November. associated with this case.

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How the kebab transformed an ordinary street in North London

16 BRITSHISH FEATURE

added to the restaurant’s allure as an alternative spot. Ali Usta is one of the oldest Turk- ish restaurant operators in the UK, ...It smells of kebab who is also remembered for running one of the country's best-known fast every evening food brands, . Beginning in the 1960s, Ali also employed a large on weekdays. At number of Turks who came to the UK weekends, it begins from Cyprus. In the 1970s, those migrants began at noon... to be joined by others from mainland Turkey. Ali Usta’s operations were particularly low-cost to run, allowing them to spread widely. They were also an excellent source of employ- hat was the objection to the ment, providing jobs to hundreds of council from one Harringay migrants from Turkey. Ali Usta, now Green Lanes resident, after at an advanced age, lives a quiet life the restaurant they lived these days, but his legacy remains in nextT to applied to extend its opening place forever. hours. But it was not just Ali Usta who Today, there are dozens of restau- helped drive a culinary revolu- rants serving food 365 days a year on tion that would help create today’s Green Lanes. This part of North Lon- Little Turkey in Green Lanes. Other don has since been dubbed “Little Turkish Cypriots have been living in Turkey” by the Harringay Green significant numbers in Britain since Lanes Traders’ Association, which the 1950s, and many of them set up represents local businesses. restaurants as family businesses. The most prominent dish on Many offered take-away services. menus across the street? The kebab. But it was relatively recently – the BritShish wanted to find out how late 1990s – when Turks entered the the street has been transformed UK food sector in an effective, influ- over the years to become London’s ential way. Little Turkey. This was triggered partly by the Various sources often point to the closure of textile workshops ear- 1970s for the introduction of do- lier in the decade. London’s textile ner to the UK. The claims are often industry mostly employed Turkish- linked to the arrival of Turkish and speakers, but it plunged into decline Greek Cypriots, along with migrants following a recession that hit the from Turkey. country after Black Monday in 1992. In fact, the first doner kebab It drove many in the community to enterprise on record in London seek employment and profit in the was a shop called Hodja Nasreddin food sector instead. which opened on Newington Green This had a knock-on effect as em- near Harringay Green Lanes in 1966. ployment prospects for newcomers Owners Cetin Bukey and wife Konjay attracted migrants from the Turkish Huseyin believed doner would be as mainland rather than Cyprus. popular in the UK as it already was in This second wave of Turkish immi- Turkey, Cyprus and Germany. gration mainly included both ethnic They were right. Hodja Nasreddin Turks and Kurds. Willing and skilled was to become something of a bohe- in the retail trade, they found new mian food outlet for those looking opportunities in life that the first for a different eating experience. The wave of migrants had created. Turkish presence wasn’t as visible The high demand for kebabs was in Britain as it was in Germany and now met with sufficient supply, help- the spinning meat on a vertical spit ing to create a British love for kebabs was slower to take hold, but that only that manifested itself in today’s

BRITSHISH 17 FEATURE

Harringay Green Lanes. Kebab restaurants changed Today kebab restaurants, for so the street long the undisputed rulers of the fast In a classic example of London food sector in Germany, are spread- neighbourhood cycles, the Turks fol- ing even to the smallest towns in the lowed a generation later, followed by UK. In just a few years, thousands of Poles. The area has seen a constant Turks have since moved into restau- transformation in its population. rant, café, takeaway and greengrocer Harringay is now the most densely management, where they have put populated and traded region for Lon- their extensive experience to good don’s Turkish-speakers – a commu- use. nity that begins in Newington Green But what of Harringay, the district and extends along Green Lanes, past that is known as “Little Turkey” Manor House, as far north as Palm- today? It has a modern history trace- ers Green. able to 1880. Its formation was ini- Today, Green Lanes is renowned tially due to the pressure of housing throughout the country for its kebab expansion in Islington and Hackney. restaurants. Many shops on the For 20 years, Harringay was a street are food businesses serving building site. It was when the railway different types of kebab. The first stations came and, later, a race track thing you notice when walking along opened in the 1930s that Harringay the street, especially in the evening, became more widely known. It is is the aroma of grilled meat rising even said that Harringay developed from the shops. The restaurants out- because of route 29, once a tram, strip their central London counter- Others – like Gaziantep and Diyar- now a bus route, that connected the parts, able to accommodate up up to bakir – help make locals familiar with neighbourhood with central London. 300 people at once and offer them a the names of cities in the country. Initially a predominantly white delicious range of kebabs beyond the One restaurant manager who has British neighbourhood, Harringay most common types, namely doner worked in Harringay for ten years housed the ambitious working and or shish. said that since the area and its res- lower middle classes. In the 1970s, Local Brits have even started pick- taurants were revamped, the kebab however, Greek Cypriots began to ing up Turkish words from restau- has become a mainstream dish. settle in the areas that had hitherto rant names like Hala which means “More British people have started been dominated by West Indians. aunt, or Gokyuzu which means sky. to come here,” he said.

18 BRITSHISH FEATURE

It's the real 01 Kebabs are the most common Kebab Street and dominant food on the I have completed 53 years in the street. area. Until the late 1980s, there was only one steak house, two or three food businesses with grilled kebabs on its menu, and they were run by Cypriot immigrants. The change in the street began with the 1990s, when the number of restaurants 02 began to rise. Diyarbakir was the There are around 20 varieties, first – and it is still running. of kebab including Adana, We should not pass by without shish and iskender. mentioning a Turkish entrepreneur, Musa Tas, when we talk about restaurants. Musa is the founder Sefik Mehmet – Chair of Harringay Traders Association of three of the biggest restaurants locally and attracted many investors to the region. He passed away last streets have started to attract year. customers not only from those living 03 The food festivals we organised in the neighbourhood but also from Up to 3,500 people can having in 2009 and 2011 contributed different parts of London and even a meal in Harringay Green greatly to making the region one from different cities. On a Sunday, Lanes at the same time. of London's dining centres. Over you can meet customers from almost the years, the restaurants on our all over the UK.

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The family who changed Green Lanes How Diyarbakır’s concept in Harringay has sustained a family from grandfather to grandson ithout doubt, one of their second location at 69 Grand and effort into the 170-seat capacity the most important Parade across the road. They named Diyarbakir Kitchen concept instead. reasons why Harringay the new venture Diyarbakir on the Its menu features not just the kebab Green Lanes has be- suggestion of an acquaintance, and and grill dishes that became popular comeW a renowned centre for food and the menu was enriched with tradi- in the UK in the 1990s, but a range drink is Diyarbakir Restaurant. It is tional dishes. of soups and home cooking that is the magnet for thousands of home- It set an example for many investors. unique to Turkey. Diyarbakir has sick Turkish and Kurdish migrants to After the Aksu family, a few more become a calling point not just for the UK who visit the area in search of restaurants – such as Erenler and Turks and Kurds, but for other the meals they love. It is also the old- Serhat – started to operate on the ethnic minorities who share a similar est example of a Turkish restaurant street. One of the most important culinary culture with Turkey and in Harringay. features that make Diyarbakir res- Harringay’s local residents. Founded in 1991, it takes its name taurant different is the fact that the And it is not just the restaurant from the city popularly known as the family has been working on Harrin- sector: food and groceries are slowly Kurdish cultural capital, a town that gay Green Lanes since 1991. becoming an important sector for has hosted countless civilisations The family-run business has al- Diyarbakir as well. It is all contribut- over the centuries. After the Great ways refused the idea of turning its ing to the creation of a zone resem- Wall of , Diyarbakir has the restaurant into a chain or franchise, bling Soho’s Chinatown in North longest city walls in the world. preferring instead to invest its time London. That year Hasan Aksu made an The friendly atmosphere is easily interesting and unusual investment one of the most important aspects in North London, where he had been of Diyarbakir Kitchen. The three for around five years. The region brothers – Zülfikar, Doğan and Erkan that Aksu chose as a place of invest- Aksu – went on to assume control ment would become famous about a of the business from their father Ali quarter of a century later as one of Aksu and paid special attention to the most renowned dining centres maintaining a high standard of food for Turkish food in the country. and service. The brothers are well- The restaurant, which also served known to just about every customer as a at the back, was and local resident. branded as an International Ocak- Hasan Aksu, meanwhile, represents basi (grill house) by the Aksu family, the third Aksu generation. The son and its menu consisted only of ke- of Zülfikar he has been working hard babs. It quickly became popular. At to maintain the record set by his first it was a great challenge for the grandfather, father and uncles by family to operate in a country where taking a particular interest in the they did not know the language or quality of the ingredients the restau- regulations very well. rant uses. The family worked from number 441 He says Diyarbakir Kitchen is a for nearly three years – the property marked set up from their first shop is now the only Vietnamese restau- and hopes every customer will feel rant in the area – before moving to themselves at home inside. Diyarbakir's founder Hasan Aksu

20 BRITSHISH Hasan Aksu and his sons Zulfikar (left) and Erkan (right) kebabsigns.com Your business starts from your shopfront.

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Owner Ahmet Üstünsürmeli Restaurant Owners small but very effective worker. Doner kebab with IKA-DROID HAND HELD TERMINAL. British beef, Turkish tradition New Generation Restaurant, Cafe & Bar EPoS Solutions from IKA

ntepliler Restaurant has Antepliler’s main restaurant opened yoghurt. IKA-DROID hand held terminal takes orders by the table side been a fixture of Harrin- on Green Lanes in 2003. Iskender is a difficult dish to get gay Green Lanes for over It is actually a chain of eateries right, which is why many Turkish and orders are sent to kitchen & bar instantly. twenty years and is one of based next door to each another: restaurants succeed only in serving No need for pen & paper any more easy to use and easy to carry around. Athe principle reasons why the area is Antepliler Baklava and Antepliler imitations. Antepliler serves the real known as “Little Turkey”. Künefe are both dedicated to serving thing! It takes its name from the south- some of the highest quality desserts Many have argued that the Isk- IKA-DROID BENEFITS: eastern Anatolian town of Gaziantep from south eastern Turkey, building ender Kebab – in particular, the man- and serves traditional dishes and fla- on the restaurant’s successes. ner in which the meat is cut – is in • Reduces mistakes and quickens service during busy times. vours unique to the region. Anteplil- The most recent addition to the fact a precursor to the doner kebab • Prevents leakages because orders are fi rst entered on customer bill and then served. er’s owner Ahmet Üstünsürmeli, who group is Antepliler Döner, which will itself. It is prepared by stacking large came to the area in 1999, now runs alter your impression of the take- pieces of meat vertically, which is • Increases the performance of waiting staff so that they can sell more and increase turnover. five shops along the street. away meal in an instant. The Iskend- why the meat strips are larger. • Establishes a strong communication between Table-Kitchen and Bar He is known for having introduced er Kebab – so-called after its inven- It is said that Iskender Efendi, genuine Iskender Doner Kebab to tor, the Turkish name for Alexander who first marketed the dish in 1867, so that there is less shouting and hence less mistakes. Harringay, as well as popular des- – is Turkey’s most popular kebab developed the technique while trying • Reduces the running around by the waiting staff so they can concentrate on serving customers. serts like baklava and kunefe. Mr dish. It was invented in the north to find a way to ensure the differ- Üstünsürmeli comes from Gaziantep western city of Bursa in the 19th cen- ent flavours of lamb meat would be • Gives you fl exibility to work with less staff during your busiest times. and set up his first bakery in 1993. By tury and includes doner meat served distributed evenly on a plate. He also 1999 he was in Harringay, making the on a bed of pide bread, with generous pioneered the concept of vertically first authentic baklava in London. portions of butter, tomato sauce and cooking the meat on a spit. www.ikaepos.com 0333 800 2212 For more information please call or visit us 22 BRITSHISH IKA EPoS Ltd. Unit B Watkins House, Pegamoid Road, London N18 2NG Tel: 020 8887 1578 • E-mail: [email protected] Are you still using pen and paper to take orders?

Small Quick Simple to use VERY Affordable

Restaurant Owners small but very effective worker. IKA-DROID HAND HELD TERMINAL. New Generation Restaurant, Cafe & Bar EPoS Solutions from IKA IKA-DROID hand held terminal takes orders by the table side and orders are sent to kitchen & bar instantly. No need for pen & paper any more easy to use and easy to carry around.

IKA-DROID BENEFITS: • Reduces mistakes and quickens service during busy times. • Prevents leakages because orders are fi rst entered on customer bill and then served. • Increases the performance of waiting staff so that they can sell more and increase turnover. • Establishes a strong communication between Table-Kitchen and Bar so that there is less shouting and hence less mistakes. • Reduces the running around by the waiting staff so they can concentrate on serving customers. • Gives you fl exibility to work with less staff during your busiest times.

www.ikaepos.com 0333 800 2212 For more information please call or visit us BRITSHISH 23 IKA EPoS Ltd. Unit B Watkins House, Pegamoid Road, London N18 2NG Tel: 020 8887 1578 • E-mail: [email protected] FEATURE From father to sons; Gökyüzü's success story

Owner Veysel Yavuz

he restaurant in Harringay Hasan Yavuz first came to London in The restaurant introduced high that pioneered the area’s 1995 and set up Gökyüzü restaurant quality, delicious Turkish meals style of dining known as four years later. He brought his son and presented them in a different, the ocakbaşı style of dining Veysel along with him; then aged more aesthetic way. This caught T– which refers to the placement of only fifteen, Veysel divided his time the attention first of local residents charcoal grills inside the restaurant between school and helping his and then of people living in different itself – now attracts customers who father. parts of London. It soon meant that queue right down the pavement to eat Hasan subsequently handed customers would start forming long there. the business over to his sons and queues outside Gökyüzü, come rain Gökyüzü is probably the first brother. The new generation of or shine. restaurant in the whole London management has seen Gökyüzü Gökyüzü’s upmarket ocakbaşı Borough of Haringey where spread from Harringay to open concept caught the attention of the customers first formed long queues branches in Chingford, Finchley and media with acclaimed publications outside. From salads to mezes, and Walthamstow. like Time Out and many newspapers from delicious dishes to quality wines, It is 35-years-old Veysel who now reviewing it. Gökyüzü has become one of the most runs the business in Harringay. He talked-about Turkish restaurants in says that even though they have London on social media. Countless plans for investment in other parts of customers use TripAdvisor, Twitter London, their Harringay restaurant is and Facebook to share their their first love and they are comments, photos and experiences of hoping to develop it even the restaurant. further. Gökyüzü is the Turkish word for sky, and even London’s Turkish speakers have started to think of the restaurant before they think of the heavens above. The turning point for Gökyüzü, which was established by Hasan Yavuz in 1999 and is now capably run by his son Veysel, came in 2010 when its existing restaurants were enlarged and they adopted a new ambiance.

24 BRITSHISH

LOCALFEATURE LIFE

Two brothers run Harringay’s largest restaurant the food sector for 20 years. Hailing elale Restaurant is one of from Bingol in southeast Turkey, they the most distinctive spots came to the UK almost 15 years ago, on Green Lanes because of and like other Turkish gastronomers the extensive seating area at found their way to Harringay almost Sthe front of its premises. Established immediately. They have brought their for 15 years, it has become known for own particular twists on dishes with its impressive collection of the finest them. The mezes in particular are Turkish and Mediterranean cuisines. more traditional than other dishes Selale means waterfall in Turkish, on the menu and are provided in which is why there is a small waterfall very generous sampler plates. Kebab in the middle of the restaurant made platters come stacked with generous, with original water stones. The lightly charred cubes of meat that restaurant also features images of Selale’s owner, Sabri Barackilic (left) more than compensate for the plain waterfalls on its menus. Another new and his brother Ramazan (right) rice and cabbage accoutrements. and distinctive feature is the designer The lamb, fish and chicken are lighting fixtures, specially made intimate feel while catering for more cooked on skewers over a charcoal for the restaurant to keep lighting people. The recently completed grill in the main restaurant, while at the right level and keep with the renovations provide space for 240 elaborate pide dishes are slow baked restaurant’s concept. diners, with there being another 60 in a brick oven at the back. Demand was outstripping supply so spaces outside. It is fair to say that reopening of the restaurant closed for expansion. Selale’s owner, Sabri Barackilic and Selale has been deemed a resounding The aim was to keep the same his brother Ramazan have been in success.

26 BRITSHISH BRITSHISH 27 FEATURE

Owner of Hala Restaurant Yilmaz Aksu Taste of tradition and home-style food t has become a common sight morning. meal specially prepared using minced to see Anatolian women sitting The restaurant was established chicken or lamb char-grilled and at the windows of Turkish in 2002 and is the work of Yılmaz seasoned with herbs, wrapped in restaurants hand-rolling out Aksu and Eren Uzun, who have been flatbread and served with butter, Iballs of dough with thin rolling pins. working in the food sector since their yoghurt and tomato sauce. They are preparing gözleme, a childhood years and decided 13 years The restaurant which has recently traditional Turkish savoury pastry ago to pour all their experience into a changed, expanded and been made with cheese, meat or vegetable restaurant. redecorated, is composed of a total of varieties, before being thrown over a Hala is not just a place for the usual three shops. Around 250 people can griddle known as a saç. meat and grill dishes, but also offers sit at the same time and be served Hala was the first restaurant in a variety of Turkish home-cooking in from Hala’s large eye-catching grill London to bring the gözleme chefs Harringay. A well-known traditional and bar. out of the kitchen and to the store meal available at Hala is manti, a type Initially a traditional and authentic front; other restaurants have since of stuffed dumplings also known restaurant in both its name and followed suit. as “Turkish tortelloni.” Usually menu, Hala has become one of the Hala means ‘aunt’ in Turkish stuffed with meat, manti is eaten in a most modern dining places in North — a name that’s reflected in the delicious tomato sauce with yoghurt London. The restaurant, which has generosity of the home-style food, and garlic. preserved its traditional menu, is and by the sight of Turkish aunties Another popular dish served at open from early morning until late at making gözleme in the window every Hala is sarma beyti, a mouth-watering night.

28 BRITSHISH

INDUSTRY NEWS

UK food and drink sector The report also indicates that a UK is a net importer of food and drink large element of this growth is coming by quite some margin with a total grows from overseas with sales abroad up import value of £46 billion compared by just under one quarter in the last to exports worth £23 billion in 2018. two years alone. The EU remains the This means the UK imports twice as ritain’s food and drink biggest total market accounting for much food and drink as it exports and sector is growing despite just under two thirds (61%) of exports highlights the critical need to avoid the uncertain political and worth £13.9 billion, with Ireland the border and customs checks on fresh economic climate according largest single destination (21.4% food coming into the UK post-Brexit. Bto a report published by Make UK, worth £4.2 billion) closely followed A new report on the industry by Make the manufacturers’ organisation and by The Netherlands, France, the USA UK and Santander revealed that Santander. and Germany. However, the Rest of this is the highest level since 2004, The report shows the sector is the World is seeing significant growth as rising sales outpace efficiencies worth 15.9% of total manufacturing with sales to Asia & Oceania up by created by new technology. GVA with sales in 2018 of £85.6 295% in the last twenty years and Describing this growth as showing billion, a sharp increase of 7.6% in in the same period by 260% to the that food and drink manufacturing is just two years from 2016. As a result, United States. the “hardiest in the field,” the study the sector is now a major employer Globally the UK is the fourth largest attributed the consistent expansion across the UK with some 440,000 food importer in the world and the to the sector’s “inherent resilience to employees, up 5.3% since 2016 and second largest drink importer. This recessions.” now at the highest level for fifteen highlights that notwithstanding the years. sector’s positive export growth, the

The food and drink industry contributes £85.6bn to the UK economy.

30 BRITSHISH TUP N TAR TIO CT S LU MPA S SO CO INES BUS

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11,000 restaurant jobs lost in 2019

22 restaurant branches closed their doors last year according to the Centre for Retail Research. The overall 9number of casual dining restaurants that shut last year was actually less than in 2018, the figures suggest as fell by more than a fifth from 1,188 in 2018. 2019 saw the likes of Jamie’s Italian, Patisserie Valerie and Giraffe close dozens of outlets it recorded a total of 11,280 job losses across the entire National living casual dining sector in the UK during 2019 versus 10,413 in 2018. The data, from shows that total job losses in the sector rose by 8%, however. wage to rise by Experts said that maintaining quality standards had proved difficult, leading to the need to cut costs caused by the sector’s over- 6.2% in April expansion, greater competition and weak consumer demand. he national living wage is aged 25 and over which came into In 2018, that squeeze saw the to rise by 6.2% in what the effect on 1 April 2016. As of April 2019 likes of , government says is “the it is £8.21 per hour for those aged 25 Carluccio’s, Prezzo, Chimichanga and biggest cash increase ever”. and over, £7.70 for those aged 21–24, Byron all shut outlets, with a total TThe rise is more than four times the £6.15 for ages 18-20. Minimum wage of 622 chain-operated restaurants rate of inflation and takes hourly pay for 16-17 is currently £4.35. closing. That fell by 46% to 337 in for people over 25 to £8.72 from April. And in September the government 2019. The national living wage is the accepted a recommendation from the The balance of the closures came government-mandated minimum Low Pay Commission that the new, from independents, according to wage for over 25-year-olds. The higher minimum should gradually be the CRR, which predicts that the minimum wage for under-25s will also phased in for younger workers over main problems in 2020 are likely to rise. 21. be found among the independents, From April 2020, the new rates are: The government also said it will which often lack the resources to • The National Living Wage for ages press ahead with recommendations reinvest or change their business 25 and above - up 6.2% to £8.72 by the Low Pay Commission to model. • The National Minimum Wage for 21 allow workers over 21 to receive the to 24-year-olds - up 6.5% to £8.20 national living wage by 2024 when it is • For 18 to 20-year-olds - up 4.9% to set to reach £10.50 an hour. £6.45 In the meantime The Living • For under-18s - up 4.6% to £4.55 Wage Foundation calculates a • For apprentices - up 6.4% to £4.15 separate, non-binding wage level The National Minimum Wage was which it describes as a fair level of introduced by a Labour government pay, reflecting the cost of living. 20 years ago and a rebranded Around 6,000 UK employers pay this National Living Wage after 2016. It’s voluntary “real living wage” of £9.30, an obligatory minimum wage payable or £10.75 for those in London. to workers in the

32 BRITSHISH BUSINESS

Altan Kemal 1- Some of the restaurants do not pay service charges to their staff. What are the legal liabilities on this? Do staffs have any legal rights?

Service charges are not tips so do have to be distributed to the staff. An employer may choose to do so but it is entirely at his/her discretion.

Altan Kemal is a Chartered Accountant. 2- Take away businesses are engaging with Uber He came to the UK in 1973, graduating in Business Eat or Just Eat to increase their sells by delivery using Management before qualifying and starting a their services which is bound to terms and conditions. career in accountancy. He subsequently founded Could these contracts or deals with them considered his own London-based firm in 1983, as expenses as around 25% to 35% of profits are named Alton & Co. (Chartered Accountants & shared with third party? Statutory Auditors). As regards Uber Eats, Just Eat, Deliveroo etc Altan is happy to answer any questions from the commissions charged by them are allowable BritShish readers. You can send him your business expenses and can be claimed in the questions via [email protected]. normal way. Government commits to business rates review he government has meaning it is partly based on where a of a property is calculated every confirmed its commitment commercial premises is located, high five years, and so businesses paying to a review of business rates street based businesses have been rates based on the value of a high in today’s Queen Speech, hit harder than some online retailers street location could be paying them Tand stated that revaluations will be that have their warehouses located in at a level that might not reflect the held on a three-year cycle from 2021. more remote locations. declining popularity of high streets All retail businesses with a rateable Part of the problem is that under in recent years. value of £51,000 or less will see an the current system the rateable value increase in their business rates discount from 33% to 50% in 2020. Independent pubs will also see their bills cut by a further £1,000. Under the government’s plans, the next review date has been moved forward to 2021 and rates revaluations will now take place every three years instead of five. Business rates are a tax on a business’s property. Because the calculation for business rates is made on the basis of its ‘rateable’ value,

BRITSHISH 33 INDUSTRY NEWS

Meat retail sales decline resh meat sales are in decline in 2019. According to exclusive Nielsen data for The Grocer’s Top Products FSurvey reveals sales has dropped by £184.6m after volumes fell 2.8%. Also every sector of red meat is in decline in last 12 months as Beef led the way with a £77.3m drop, while bacon fell £45.5m and pork shed £21.1m. But even poultry lost value, with rotisserie products, turkey and duck sales suffering a combined £20.2m blow. Chicken was the only “2019 has seen a rise in meat- inflationary pressures have eased, sector in growth, with sales up by free and free-from categories, as leading to a fall in average prices. £19.1m. consumers become more health Salmon prices are down 3.6%, while With concerns also about the and environmentally-conscious and king prawns are down 4.7%. That environmental impact of meat, veganism hits the mainstream,” said has led to a 1.2% rise in volume sales plant-based emerged as the fastest- Mike Watkins, head of retailer and of fresh fish, equating to an extra growing category in the Top Products business insight at Nielsen. 5.4 million units. The effect was Survey, up 18% to be worth over Brits are also eating more fish, particularly apparent in salmon, £400m. the data suggests. Long-standing which saw a 5.6% increase in volumes.

SDA has announced it will close shut counters inside Asda to scrap fresh stores across the UK. The supermarket giant is closing Aall of its in store meat and fish counters meat counters and replacing them with ‘food to go’ counters. The traditional supermarket staples will be scrapped to make way for sections selling ready to eat products, including hot chicken, pies, sushi and curry. The supermarket giant has been trying different alternatives to the counters across 13 stores over the past year, including partnering with brands such as Sushi Daily and , and says it is planning more partnerships with well known brands. The trial also included introducing a ‘food court’ style feature in one of its Edinburgh branches and the counters will be in place in 150 stores by the end of the year, and that pre-packed meat and fish options have become increasingly popular with customers.

34 BRITSHISH TOP R E S I D E N T I A L A n i n d e p e n d e n t fa m i l y r u n c o m p a n y s i n c e 2 0 0 8 .

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BRITSHISH 35 [email protected] w w w . t o p r e s i d e n t i a l . c o . u k INDUSTRY NEWS

No labels for “non-stun” slaughtered meat says Defra

he Department for slaughter, adding that she “would not Mandatory labelling of non-stunned Environment, Food and have supported” previously proposed meat could have caused problems Rural Affairs (Defra) amendments to the Agriculture Bill for kebab businesses serving or has confirmed that the which would have made it compulsory selling foods prepared in line with TGovernment will not introduce labels to label un-stunned meat products. halal or kosher slaughter procedures for meat produced with non-stun The Defra secretary added that it is by potentially singling them out slaughter. “important for people to be able to or demonising them if had the Defra said that the Government follow their faith” on matters relating amendment passed. is against limitations on non-stun to slaughter.

ritons’ consumption of sugar in drinks has dropped by more than a teaspoon per person each day due Bto the ‘sugar tax’, a major study has found. Since 2015 the sugar in soft drinks sold in the UK has dropped by 30 per cent – equivalent to a daily reduction of 4.6g per person. That is the equivalent of cutting out more than one teaspoon of sugar each day. The Oxford University researchers behind the study credited the soft drinks levy for the reduction. This policy places a levy of 24p per Sugar in UK soft litre on drinks containing more than 8g of sugar per 100ml, and 18p per litre on drinks containing between 5g drinks declines and 8g per 100ml. The tax, announced by David Cameron’s government in 2016 and brought in by Theresa May by 29% in 2018, saw many companies reduce the amount of sugar in their drinks to dodge the levy.

36 BRITSHISH PRODUCT CATALOGUE 2020 PRODUCT CATALOGUE | HOLLAND BAZAAR

BRITSHISH 37 57 SECTOR Takeaway Industry in Crisis: Many food outlets to be hit with Staff Shortage

s culinary exports from experts worry that it will cause Almost 25% of existing the Middle East and South a shortage of skilled chefs in the food businesses are Asia, kebabs enjoy great country. popularity in the UK. But Almost 25% of existing food currently having trouble Anowadays many restaurants have businesses are currently having finding staff to recruit told Britshish they cannot find and trouble finding staff to recruit for retain the staff to stay open. Even the running of their businesses, and for the running of their some of food outlets across the this is particularly true for cuisines businesses. country could be forced to close their that need specialists for preparation, doors over staff shortage. such as curries, kebabs, sushi, and Moreover, the issue of Brexit fish items. has raised concerns, and industry The British Meat Processors

38 BRITSHISH Association has recently stated that finding people to work in meat plants is proving to be difficult. These plants are situated in rural areas where working conditions are not favourable. Compounding the issue is the uncertainty brought on by Brexit that is causing many to look for employment in other countries. The issue affects not only the local workers but also the more specialised chefs. These chefs are moving away to other countries – or perhaps back home – due to the implications of Brexit as well as the rise in xenophobia since the owners around the country about Kebab shops are facing a referendum. the issue. Owners urged the UK “staffing crisis” However, there has been government to take steps for Despite the fact which many innovation within the kebab industry preserving the food and kebab industry experts are agree, a to make the job easier for workers. industry. The aim is to ensure that golden age for kebab industry in Initially, staff would be employed for the immigration system allows food Britain: never before has such a slicing meat in the traditional way businesses to hire specialised foreign high number of kebab shops been using a knife to make the kebabs. staff from the European Union and so widely available. This boom, Now, these eateries have invested other countries. in a robotic machine called the Restaurant owners stated that though, is threatened by a chronic Dekor Robot that cuts automatically almost all of the job applicants to shortage of chefs and staff. The throughout the day. their restaurants in London non- hospitality industry is responsible The machine can work round the British. However, the immigration for six million jobs, making it the clock, unlike human workers who system would need specific UK’s fourth biggest employer. But may develop fatigue or boredom alterations to allow these foreigners this notoriously precarious business while carrying out the repetitive to enter the country and get hired. appears to be more topsy-turvy than task. Not only does this allow for The food industry is currently ever. For every heartening headline: perfect slices, but it also saves being squashed under the weight of “Record 44 new restaurants energy and time. It also eliminates inflation, and a survey held in 2019 set to open across London in negative human factors such as found that over a third of the total September,” from the Evening sneezing, coughing, touching, etc., ethnic food businesses in the UK Standard in September, 2017; there’s and boosts the hygiene rating. believe that the industry’s shortage a depressing one: “Number of UK The British Magazine has spoken in staff is directly impacted by Brexit. to many restaurant and takeaway restaurants going bust up by a fifth in 2017” from last month. The situation, post-Brexit, will only become more complicated. The British Hospitality Association, with help from accountancy firm KPMG, published a report last year which suggests that the sector is staring into a recruitment black hole without EU nationals to bail them out: by 2029, the industry could have a deficit of more than a million workers. The report recommended that the industry will need to find at least another 60,000 workers per year on top of the 200,000 required “to replace churn and to power growth”.

BRITSHISH 39 INNOVATION Kebab-Cutting Robots spread around the UK n the face of staff shortages, innovation. Dekor Robot presents Doner businesses, especially this doner robot machines in the SOME BENEFITS ARE: in small towns and villages market with variety of product are finding difficult to recruit features such as 24-hour hand free, • Non-stop working in 7-days Istaff and looking for more creative adjustable speed and compact / 24-hours. ways to run the business. Staff at design. • Ability to cut in front of the the takeaways would use a knife Available in four different models, to manually slice the lamb meat in high-temperature without the robot saves 30 percent energy the traditional way to make doner getting bored. and provides 25 percent more kebabs.This requirement led to an • Fast and continuously rotating service than manual cutting. industrial innovation by launching the slicing and making The robot is guided by sensors and doner robot machines in the market. standardized slices. The entrepreneur company, Dekor glides up and down the rotating tower • Eliminates the negative Robot, which promote the doner of meat in order to shave off perfect robot machines for the industry is slices for the snack. human factors (sneezing, encouraging the doner businesses The meat is then stuffed into pitta cough, perspiration, breath, to keep their workforce motivated bread and salad can be added to make touch, etc.) and guarantees and happy by benefiting from this the traditional doner kebab. the hygiene.

The robot machine, which automatically cooks and with a big knife to slice doner meat off of a rotating cuts doner, has attracted great interest in the UK skewer. Manual kebab slicing has been given the market as the kebab shops outside of London suffer elbow, supplanted by a futuristic robot arm. The Robot from a shortage of staff. machine which, guided by sensors, glides up and down For years, the Antepliler Doner in Harringay, North the tower of meat, slicing off perfect cuts of lamb to London has – like all kebab shops employed a man be stuffed into a pitta bread.

40 BRITSHISH www.glopackltd.com [email protected] [email protected] GLOPACKLTD

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Unit 20A Rosebery Industrial Park N17 9SR LONDON/UK Tel: +44 207 117 2983 Mob: +44 7BRITSHISH9 4937 941020 SECTOR Cobra Beer support restaurant industry with a TV programme

ony Entertainment Television has announced the launch of its new UK series ‘The Chef’, a Scollaboration with Cobra Beer. The format will introduce Hersha Patel, an award-winning presenter/ filmmaker who has featured on ITV and was nominated for a Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Award for her debut podcast. Hersha is profiling twenty-six highly respected chefs, who are striving to keep the culinary authenticity alive, and host them in her intimate kitchen. The Lord Karan Bilimoria chefs will talk through their rich history, the inception of their greatest watch the official show teaser, meet recipes and their running of the the chefs involved and speak with the world’s most popular restaurants. host Hersha Patel. This biographical styled show will Lord Karan Bilimoria, Chairman give viewers an insight into these of Cobra Beer Partnership said inspiring chefs and their respective at the event, “We at Cobra Beer restaurants across the UK, are absolutely delighted to be the showcasing world cuisines including founder sponsors of Sony TV‘s The French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Chef series. Cobra started its journey Thai, Turkish and Lebanese. in restaurants and restaurants To give a first glimpse of the new will always be our foundation and in 40 countries around the world. show and celebrate their partnership, our base – without the support Cobra was created to be the ideal Sony TV and Cobra hosted a special of the restaurant industry Cobra accompaniment to all cuisine – preview in London to a handful of would not be where it is today, a “brewed smooth for all food.” guests and gave them the chance to household name in the UK and sold

Among the restaurants to be included in the program is Gokyuzu Restaurant, which operates in four branches in North London. Restaurant owner Veysel Yavuz, the guest of the famous presenter, made shish kebab, the most popular dish of Turkish restaurants.

42 BRITSHISH

KEBAB WORLD

Kebab Turki Baba Rafi, the world’s biggest kebab chain

East Asian customer base, and in doing so, invented a new Indonesian style of kebab with an exciting original flavour. This helped to make his kebabs a success in the domestic market. The venture was a huge hit and has since spread rapidly at home and abroad with indoor and outdoor outlets of varying sizes and styles including food carts, containers, booths, and shops, some of which operate on a 24-hour basis. Kebab Turki is now a multimillion- dollar business with 1300 outlets in 10 countries including , , , , , China, the , , and the Netherlands. hile many usually Hendy was inspired on a trip to The company have set out an associate kebabs with while visiting his father who was ambitious and substantial vision “to the Mediterranean, the working for an oil company there. be the largest, the most profitable Middle East or South He was impressed by how popular and the most influential kebab chain WAsia, it might come as a surprise that shwarma and doner kebabs — served in the world.” Kebab Turki intend the world’s largest kebab chain is from iconic rotating spits — were with to reach these goals “by upholding actually from Indonesia! both locals and tourists alike, and quality affordable meals with superior That’s right, you read it correctly, decided to recreate this concept back service to our franchisees and the world’s biggest kebab business in his home country. Hendy named customers.” comes from a South East Asian the company “Kebab Turki Baba Rafi” The company are also proud of country around 6300 miles away from taking the word “baba” which means their philanthropic work and see Greece, 5600 from Turkey, 3600 from father in Arabic and Turkish, and Rafi this as one of their key values. “We Pakistan and over 4,100 miles from after his and Niam’s first child, Rafi are also devoted to improving our the nearest Middle Eastern country. Darmawan. human resources and consistently Kebab Turki Baba Rafi was founded He also made some changes to implementing socially responsible in 2003 by Hendy Setiono when he the traditional kebab recipe by programs that support our opened his first kebab cart with his adding local ingredients to make his communities and stakeholders” wife Niam in , Indonesia. products more suitable to his South their mission statement explains.

44 BRITSHISH KEBAB WORLD

Kebab Turki run a corporate social responsibility training programme as a part of this through their very own Baba Rafi Academy with the Kebab Turki Baba Rafi aim of creating an independent and successful generation of young was founded in 2003 by entrepreneurs in Indonesia. Kebab Turki Baba Rafi have had Hendy Setiono when he many outstanding achievements in under two decades and are already opened his first kebab a well-established chain throughout cart with his wife Niam Asia. After building a small presence in Europe too, one day British kebab- in Surabaya, Indonesia. lovers may also get the chance to enjoy some of their Indonesian-style kebabs as well, here’s hoping. Hendy Setiono CEO and Founder of Baba Rafi Enterprise

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Tel: ADVERTISING 07474 BRANDING 472 MEDIA CONSULTANCY PROMOTION 880 BRITSHISH 45 e r e l @ g p r o d u c t i o n . c o . u k INFO MediterraneanFoods Is 2020 the year Naturally Delicious A family run business with generations of the falafel? of Mediterranean, North African and Middle Eastern culinary heritage. alafel become popular before serving them, a travesty thanks to street food in any true falafel fan’s books, No one would have guessed that vendors. The street food especially when one considers how these products, each with a revolution opened British long it takes to make these palm- eyesF to dishes that some of us hadn’t sized delicacies (Yotam Ottolenghi distinctive flavor, would return even dreamed of trying before, with says you need to 24 hours to really do to being one of the cheap, convenient and good quality them justice). fare. It was in the vibrant street food It’s falafel that has elevated UK's most popular foods. markets of the UK that falafel first restaurants like Jasmin 1 in Lakemba started rising in popularity and us and Leichardt, and Fatima’s in Surry Brits haven’t looked back since! Hills to institution status. Michael BETTER INGREDIENTS. When buying a falafel portion from Rantissi of Kepos & Co and Kepos a street food vendor, it will usually be Street Kitchen has even named a BETTER QUALITY. served in a pita or wrap, which holds book after them titled Falafel for the falafel balls and as much salad as Breakfast. BETTER HOMOUS. you can squeeze in. We recommend And now, mid- to fine-dining and it’s a game-changer. thinly chopped tomato, shredded restaurants are rallying behind the At first glance, these could pass for stes lettuce, onion slices, grated carrot humble spiced patty by reimagining the brekky snacks of your childhood at ta and green pepper with a hot chilli it in delicious new ways. but one bite reveals they’re anything Gre 96 sauce – but with so much choice, you Sydney’s Nomad once trialled but; Nour’s crumpets have been ce 19 can keep trying new combinations, a spanner-crab falafel, wedged it infused with ground chickpeas and Sin until you find something to suit you! into a hot steamed bun, and now warm falafel spices, giving them Sure, some longstanding takeaway Surry Hills’ Nour has reinvented the flavour profile of your favourite shops have always done them justice, the chickpea wheel. The recently chickpea balls. The discs are fried but many resort to blasting the rebooted mod-Lebanese diner is in butter until golden, then topped pre-cooked patties in the microwave plating up a brunch-time crumpet, with tahini, tendrils of pickled onion and a soft-yolk egg for a brunch that’s worthy of your Middle Eastern grandma’s attention. Mine certainly would’ve approved.

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A family run business with generations of Mediterranean, North African and Middle Eastern culinary heritage. No one would have guessed that these products, each with a distinctive flavor, would return to being one of the UK's most popular foods.

BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER QUALITY. BETTER HOMOUS. s taste reat G 1996 Since

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