Boiling Points
RESTAURANTS TACKLE RISING COSTS
As the cost-of-living crisis continues, the restaurant industry is facing several challenges. Curry Life spoke to three restaurant owners to discover what they are doing to recoup lost revenue amid spiralling costs.
With inflation at a 40-year high, a YouGov poll has revealed that more than a third of people have been forced to reduce, or stop spending money entirely, on eating out and takeaways over the past six months, as a direct result of rising costs and inflation.
Dining out and takeaways ranked second and fourth, respectively in the key areas in which Britons are cutting back, with 39% of those surveyed reducing the amount they dine out and 38% reducing their number of takeaways. A further 27% have also cut back on their spending on alcohol, with 7% saying that they have had to cut it out entirely for cost reasons.
The Nationwide Caterers Association says: “Consumers are making these reductions as a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis and projected further energy price increases. Whilst the hospitality industry remains confident that this summer will be prosperous, the anticipated increases in inflation and energy prices risk a post-summer dip as consumers begin to cut further expenses.”
What next?
Labour shortages, increased labour and food costs, shifting consumer demand and the implementation of new technologies are just some of the challenges restaurant owners are facing, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 State of the Industry Report.
While rising costs of food is a significant issue for 92% of restaurant operators, the food service industry is forecast to reach $997bln in sales in 2023, driven in part by higher menu prices, and 47% of operators say they expect competition to be more intense than last year.
What’s clear is that consumers still want restaurant experiences – with 84% of consumers saying: “going out to a restaurant with family and friends is a better use of their leisure time than cooking and cleaning up”.
The report also states that the foodservice industry workforce is projected to grow by 500,000 jobs, for total industry employment of 15.5M by the end of 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
But just how easy will it be to find staff to find and fill new and vacant positions? And with the cost of ingredients rising, what does this mean for customer experience? Higher prices? Smaller portions? Less choice? Let’s find out.
The Cross Keys
Sherbourne, Dorset
Located at the heart of the community on Sherborne’s historic Conduit marketplace known as The Parade, The Cross Keys is one of the town’s most famous inns. Just around the corner from 15th-century Sherborne Abbey, it has welcomed locals and visitors for over two hundred years.
The Cross Keys Sherbourne serves everything from pie and mash to Thai food, always emphasising quality and value for money. Commenting on the impact of Covid and the ongoing economic crisis, owner Mo Gherras says “The past 18 months to two years has been a bit of a blur, but we adapt daily, and it’s made us stronger”.
The restaurant has a passion and reputation for creating great-tasting, seasonally-inspired dishes, using ingredients from local and artisan producers. Its seasonal menu is cooked to order and includes vegetarian and vegan options. Menus change regularly, with weekly specials available based on seasonality and availability.
“Energy is the biggest cost, but we can’t do much about that, we need the government to help us a bit,” says Gherras. He adds that customers have become more aware of what they spend. Where before they might have eaten out several times a week, they are now only eating out once a week, or ordering less. “Consumers want and expect something nice; they want value for money and can be much more critical as a result. Our offer is good quality and value for money. Think local, locally source, cut out the middlemen,” says Mo, adding that this approach also prevented the businesses being hit by the supply issues that made headlines earlier this year.
“Buying the best doesn’t mean the most expensive, it’s how you source – go to the farms direct,” advises Mo “We buy a whole animal/half an animal and use pretty much everything.”
Like so many businesses in the hospitality industry, recruiting and retaining staff – particularly since Brexit and the pandemic – has, and continues to be difficult. “A lot of people retired during the pandemic, and nobody replaced them as they didn’t have the experience and it takes a long time to get them trained. Others simply left the industry. Hospitality is not seen as a career in the UK. In other European countries it’s a good career with huge opportunities.” In response, Mo has applied for sponsorship to recruit people from overseas.
“I started doing [this job] when I was 17, I’m now 47. I love it, it’s in my blood – looking after people, seeing them happy, talking to people from all different walks of life.”
To survive in this climate, you must live and breathe what you do: “You must love food, people want to know the story behind it and experience it more authentically: vary your menu, champion local produce and traceability over just food on a plate.”
Yum Yum
Stoke Newington, London
Established for 27 years, Yum Yum offers ‘award-winning classical Thai cuisine’ in a Grade II Listed building in the heart of Stoke Newington in north London.
“These are very unusual times, and it is during these times that entrepreneurs are born,” Yum Yum’s owner, Atique Chowdhury tells Curry Life. “When everyone had their heads down during lockdown, we were cooking for the frontline, so when the government gave permission for takeaways to re-open, not only were we operationally ready, but because of the amount of media attention we got for serving 5000+ meals to emergency workers, we had a lot of customer goodwill.”
Chowdhury reveals that while the average spend of his customers has continued at the same level, because of the price increases “it balances out.” Cutting corners in terms of quality, portion size or service, however, is simply not an option. “I am a man of principles: I believe in quality of food, and quality of service in luxurious surroundings. Customers understand the difference between an average meal out and an amazing meal out. This is a time when you can tell the difference between an ordinary business and an extraordinary business.
“A lot of restaurateurs are complaining about the position they are in, but we must focus on our costs and make sure that staff facilities and areas such as toilets are up to scratch, that we comply to EHO [environmental health officer] standards and that communication between staff and management is on point and not mixed up with what is happening outside. This is show business, it’s not even a restaurant, it’s a theatre – more than ever before people want to go into a place and escape their everyday life. I’ve had a restaurant in my area for over 43 years; I’m not willing to compromise as I have generations of customers that have come to expect only the very best.”
Chowdhury agrees that staffing is difficult and says you must try even harder not only to recruit staff but also to retain them. He has been given work permits to recruit hospitality staff from overseas with different skill sets and bring them into the business, which also comes with additional fresh ideas and innovation.
Chowdhury is committed to looking after and developing his staff. “I make sure I give them facilities they didn’t have before. You must incentivise your staff I’m not just talking financially, they must also feel valued.”
Ballingdon Valley Restaurant
Sudbury, Suffolk
Offering the very finest Indian cuisine, the award winning Ballingdon Valley Indian restaurant in Sudbury, Suffolk says it ‘provides an unusually good dining experience. Serving dishes cooked with only the freshest ingredients, customers can expect exemplary service from our staff whether eating in or taking away.’
With costs continuing to rise, owner Abdus Shahid tells Curry Life: “It is tough at the moment – juggling the costs of staff, energy and ingredients. Fresh garlic, onion and ginger – the cost of these fresh ingredients like these has tripled. Meat has gone up too; we only use fresh chicken; I won’t use frozen, so I pay extra to have it.”
Customers are undoubtedly cutting back, says Shahid, “now, if they have a starter, they will take off the sides, or they will skip the starter and keep the side dishes.”
Rather than pass all of this cost onto the customer, who is also suffering from the effects of rising inflation and interest rates, Shahid is recouping some of the lost revenue by focusing on a smaller menu.
“My advice is to have a reduced menu, if you have a big menu, you need to buy more stock. Be sure to keep your most popular dishes and then every couple of months change it. Yes, we have had to put prices up a little, but we are very established here in Suffolk – we are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year. Our customers understand that we must do that because our costs are going up too.”
Looking to the future
There are many positives to take from the 2023 State of the Industry Report. In its analysis it says that many restaurant owners have a growth mindset for 2023. Nearly three in four operators say business conditions are already close to normal— a new, more positive normal—or are well on the path, and the focus is on sustaining growth in the coming year.
While the headwinds of 2022 are carrying over into 2023, consumers’ desire for the restaurant experience is as strong as ever and will play a critical role in the industry’s recovery.
Echoing the views of our restaurant owners above, the National Restaurant Association says there are opportunities to increase revenues, including but not limited to, chef’s tables/tastings, cooking classes, selling branded wear, meal kits, meal subscriptions and promoting locally sourced fare. It will be interesting to see what the next six months brings.
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Tribute to former BCA president Meah Monirul Alam
Meah Monirul Alam
Meah Monirul Alam, one of the UK’s longest-serving and most successful Bangladeshi restaurateurs, and former president of the Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA) passed away on 23 July at the age of 82.
The prominent businessman and community leader, who championed the curry industry for more than five decades, first arrived in London in 1960 as a student aged 22. He worked part-time in his uncle’s restaurant before opening his first business three years later.
He had interests in 25 restaurants across Kent and London during the 1970s, and his sons still run the Kashmir restaurant in his home town of Canterbury.
Meah quickly recognised that the public appetite for curry was greater outside the capital, seizing the opportunity to relocate to the south coast. His first restaurant, Calcutta, was the only Indian restaurant within a 60-miles radius and also housed a nightclub for diners who hadn’t worked up enough of a sweat with their curry.
The father of four actively encouraged other Bangladeshis to set up restaurants in Kent and offered loans to help them get started. His interest in raising the profile of Bangladeshi restaurateurs and championing the fact that it was predominantly Bengalis, not Indians, who were spearheading the industry led him to become president of the Bangladeshi Caterers Association in the 1990s.
He successfully raised the organisation’s membership as he did in another high-profile role, as the leader of the UK branch of the Bangladeshi Nationalist Party. His community activities included setting up an Islamic cultural centre and mosque in his adopted home and acting as an advisor and confidante to the local community.
They say behind every great man is a woman, and his wife, Raushon Ara, says one of her greatest battles was getting her husband to retire from an industry he helped shape for nearly 55 years. Speaking to Curry Life magazine in 2017, Meah said he had no regrets.
“It was hard work, but I always remained interested and passionate about my work,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure helping my fellow countrymen get started in the business, flying the flag for Bangladeshi caterers and serving the public. My advice to anyone starting in this industry is to work hard and be nice to people. Success will come.”
Meah Monirul Alam was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Curry Life Awards in 2017 for his contributions and services to the British curry industry, with the awards hosted by journalist and broadcaster Michael Buerk.
At the time, he was not well enough to attend the ceremony, with his son Ruhul Alam receiving the award on his behalf. Kashmir restaurant customers left many tributes to MeahMonirulAlam, saying: “He was a wonderful man,” and “What a legacy your father has left to his family and all of Canterbury.”
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BCA elections up in the air amid membership disputes
Ballot box vector icon
The election of the executive committee of the Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA), the oldest organisation of Bangladeshi restaurateurs in the UK, hangs in the balance.
Elections were due to be held on March 5th, but the polls have yet to be held following a dispute over the eligibility of new membership. There is frustration among ordinary members as the organisation has not seen a democratically-elected committee in the last twenty years.
The BCA elections have now been thrown into uncertainty after a recent meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) to fix an election date; approval of the membership ended without any decision due to heated arguments between the members of the two groups. According to a source present at the meeting, President M A Munim OBE expressed his displeasure and adjourned the meeting when members argued over two possible election dates, 3rd and 10th September.
No date set
Voicing their anger at this situation, many NEC members left the meeting. Curry Life tried contacting President M A Munim, but he was unavailable for comment at the time of writing. However, BCA Secretary General Mitu Chowdhury confirmed that the meeting had to end abruptly due to members’ arguments over election dates. Mitu Chowdhury told Curry Life that the NEC meeting would have to address these issues again, but he could not confirm a date by which it would be done.
Late last year, BCA members began preparations for a new election, with BCA leaders now elected directly by its members. Consequently, there was a lot of interest among the stakeholders. The election announcement created much excitement among BCA members and leaders. Two panels, Saffron and Vision, announced their candidates. All were engaged in recruiting new members, with the election date announced as March 5th and the last date for membership application set for January 24th. At that time, the membership of the BCA was only five hundred.
An Election Commission consisting of three members was also constituted to conduct the elections, with current President MA Munim expressing hope for a fair election.
Image crisis
A BCA committee was previously formed on September 7th 2003, by the direct vote of 121 members through previous elections, with Mahmadur Rashid elected as President and Ashraf Uddin elected as Secretary General. Problems with membership during elections within the Bangladesh Caterers Association have become the norm – in 2003, this prompted the organisation’s activities to be completely revamped. The BCA started anew with only 121 members. Later in 2012, again before the BCA elections, a panel boycotted the elections when allegations and counter-complaints emerged regarding membership applications. The organisation suffered a massive image crisis at that time.
Membership woes
Membership-related problems have remained. Elections were scheduled to be held on March 5th, 2023, but the membership could not be finalised due to repeated complaints by the leaders of the two panels. All applications are subject to scrutiny, and membership is still being determined. Six months after announcing the election programme, members are still unaware when elections will be held.
The current secretary general of the organisation, Mitu Chowdhury, said that two panels and two groups are participating in the BCA elections. New membership applications have been under scrutiny for the past few months, delaying the election. Chowdhury said that the NEC meeting on June 19th aimed to finalise the election date and final membership numbers, with possible dates being September 3rd or September 10th. This led to a disagreement between the leaders of the two groups, which turned into a verbal altercation. A few members walked out, and the meeting ended without any decision.
Mitu Chowdhury said membership approvals are almost over, and only a small number of applications have yet to be decided, which he believes will be done soon. He estimates the final members will number around 1700. Mitu Chowdhury is again contesting for the post of Secretary General in election.
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Marking our milestone
Twenty years ago, Curry Life Media established a publication as a voice for the British curry industry, one that at that time was one of the most significant contributors from the hospitality sector to the UK economy. Fast forward to 2023, and the British curry sector plays a prominent role in the UK’s culture, society and economy.
However, the original concept of Curry Life has changed dramatically over the years. Here at Curry Life Media, we are so proud to celebrate not just our 20th anniversary, but also the 100th edition of Curry Life magazine. The original concept was a bilingual newsletter for curry chefs; following a couple of issues and feedback, we developed a magazine for restaurateurs and the industry, and we have not looked back since.
In the last 20 years, the industry has enjoyed many successful moments, but it has also been through some tough times, the last couple of years being no exception. Throughout the good and the bad times, we have published interviews with many of the industry’s leading lights and curry legends, showcased new and established restaurants, and profiled some of the industry’s most talented chefs. More importantly, we have highlighted the most pressing issues facing curry houses, written about the challenges and opportunities facing the curry sector and lobbied the government for support.
And it’s not just the publication that we are celebrating. Over the years, we have established many other initiatives, including our Curry Life Chef Awards, which later became the Curry Life Awards. This year, we will be hosting our 14th edition of the Awards, which, like the publication, have gone from strength to strength.
Syed Nahas Pasha, Curry Life editor-in-chief, said: “Curry Life has been promoting British Curry for the last 20 years, and our Curry Life Chef Awards is the only event in the industry to promote curry chefs and British Curry on an international stage. Our British Curry Festival is a fantastic event that showcases British Curry overseas, with our most recent one hosted in Bangladesh in 2022. We are thrilled to have published our 100th edition in our 20th anniversary year, and we have much more to celebrate this year, so watch this space!”.
Our readership is vast and growing all the time and includes restaurateurs, chefs, industry associations, journalists, politicians and people in the hospitality sector. So on the occasion of our 20th anniversary and our 100th edition, Curry Life Media would like to extend a massive thank you to all our readers, advertisers, contributors and those in the industry who have supported us over the years. In particular, we would like to thank our generous sponsors and advertisers Just Eat, Cobra Beer, Kingfisher, Bangla Beer and all those who have been with our journey over the last two decades.
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SOARING PRICES PUT PRESSURE ON CURRY INDUSTRY
SOARING PRICES PUT PRESSURE ON CURRY INDUSTRY
Mounting food and energy prices are pushing the curry industry to its limits. Restaurateurs, suppliers and trade organisations weigh in on the crisis
Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and now huge hikes in the price of food are putting unprecedented levels of pressure on the many small businesses, such as curry houses, that make up the UK’s hospitality sector.
An additional nail in the coffin was Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak’s recent announcement to end the 12.5% VAT relief rate for the industry. From 1 April, the VAT rate for most goods and services within the hospitality industry has returned to 20% (the temporary reduction from 20% had been introduced during the pandemic).
The price of food has been rising steadily over recent months due to a number of factors: bad weather conditions have impacted harvests and there have been increases in the costs of processing meat, as well as higher oil and energy costs. The conflict in Ukraine has only served to make a bad situation worse. A report from analysts Kantar, released last month, pointed to how grocery prices rose at their fastest rate in more than eight years in February. The report said this situation is likely to continue as a result of supply-chain disruption and the conflict in Ukraine.
Curry Life spoke to a number of curry houses and suppliers, all of whom expressed anxiety, not just about the current situation and the rising costs of key ingredients such as spices, oil, onions, tomatoes, peppers and meat, but also about what might happen in the coming months.
Surviving but not thriving
Iqbal Ahmed OBE is chairman and chief executive of Seamark Group, an exporter and distributor of frozen food and one of the largest suppliers of king prawns to the restaurant industry and retail. The business has been going for more than 45 years and is headquartered in Manchester, with operations in Bangladesh too.
“Small businesses cannot sustain themselves with all these price rises, big businesses will also suffer but they have more resources to lean on,” says Ahmed. “We are surviving but not doing great, we cannot fulfil our ambitions to expand. We had blueprints drawn up and consultants on board but we are literally just hanging on. All we can do is continue to pay our bills, our staff and our suppliers.”
Ahmed believes the pressures stemmed from when the UK exited the European Union, resulting in different currencies to deal with and increasing bureaucracy. The pandemic too prompted a huge growth in online businesses, which he said has also had a detrimental effect on small businesses, as it has widened the competition.
“It was a shambles dealing with different exchanges and you can imagine what happens with fluctuating rates; if you buy in dollars and it is strong against the pound, your prices go up,” he explains. “We are not getting any deals – there is nothing available for the food industry, And we lost a lot of our European staff because of Brexit, particularly many of our drivers.”
Ahmed adds that freight costs have also more than doubled; as an example, he says, the cost of importing containers from India, Vietnam, Bangladesh or China was around $2,500, the price has increased massively and there is also a shortage of containers to contend with, which only serves to push prices up even more.
“I am suffering and so are my staff,” he says. “We need to put pressure on the Government and raise awareness of these issues. Curry houses are very vulnerable as they are small businesses and most of them will not be making money – their bills will be more than their takings.”
Take an honest approach
Aklu Miah, who runs superstore Food Bazar, says he has received a lot of complaints from customers (a mix of mostly retail with a few curry houses), but says there is nothing he can do as he is having to buy in the goods at inflated prices too.
“Everything is going up – mostly oil and meat, and we can’t pass on too many margins,” he says. “People are cutting back on the more expensive items, but we are still selling, albeit a little less. There is a lot of competition so we are being honest with our customers.”
Shahanoor Khan, the owner of Cafe Goa in Barton-Le-Clay, says increasing menu prices is not the answer.
“Our menu prices cannot change frequently, otherwise the customer notices this and instead of coming twice a week, they will only visit once a month,” he says. “The financial help from the Government can only help in the short-term; I am very scared when I see my invoices and on top of this, my staff are asking for an increase in wages as their cost of living has gone up. Even if I were to consider putting prices up, this is not something I can implement immediately, it will take time to design the menus and print them.”
Khan adds that curry houses are already suffering from a staff shortage and says it’s vital for the younger generation to step up and help where they can.
“We need to make the curry industry attractive to younger people and also boost their perception of cuisine and being a chef – it’s an art and a respectable profession,” he says. “And suppliers need to ask themselves this question: if restaurants are not buying their goods, then how will they survive?”
Balancing act
Razz Ahmed, who owns two curry houses in South Shields, has a similar view. In the new year, his businesses were just getting back on track following Covid.
“Our customers are happy and we’ve got a lot of plans for this year and we hoped to overcome all the Covid challenges,” he says. “But now prices have gone through the roof, I can’t just put the prices up on the menu, I have to balance things. We need support from suppliers, everyone is in the same boat. In the last few weeks, meat, chicken and oil has doubled in price and we expect these to get higher. If we increase our prices, we lose customers.”
Ahmed is leaning towards having fewer items on the menu and reducing staff numbers as those options are less likely to alienate customers while helping him to reign in costs. At present, he only has the minimum number of staff working as he has already cut their hours down. He also says he is fortunate in that many of his staff are family, making it an easier proposition to reduce or increase their hours, while having staff on hand that can work at short notice.
“We can increase the prices of our dishes but even then the margins won’t be enough, so the plan is to make the menus smaller and cut staff,” he says. “And whatever we do, it will need to be done quickly and then it will depend on the customers – if they are not happy we will have a rethink and if they are happy, that will go towards our bills and wages.”
For Ahmed, a reduced menu will apply across the board, from starters to main courses to rice, with four chicken dishes being reduced to two for example.
“It’s a constant juggling act, going from one pressure to the next and we have to take each day as it comes,” he says. “We are not thinking of changing suppliers, they look after us too and we have built a good relationship over many years,”
Maintain relationships
This is a view shared by Mark Poynton, chef patron at Restaurant MJP@The Shepherds in Cambridge. Switching suppliers isn’t the answer as they need support too.
“We all need to back each other in this amazing industry, sticking by our suppliers in these times, as they did to all of us over the last two years, which unfortunately means that customers will have to take a price increase,” he says. “But as a nation we have been undercharging for food in restaurants, which has led to bad farming, because everyone wants the cheapest product, and bad employment practices, because there is not enough money to pay staff. This needs to change and hopefully the situation we find ourselves in can be another catalyst for this.”
Poynton adds that it’s vital for restaurants to be open with customers and tell them that ‘it is not our fault, nor the producers fault, it’s because everything is going up and this is not going to magically go away’.
“Be honest, explain the situation to people and carry on being the best you can be, and hopefully your customers will understand and support you,” he says.
Industry support
Are there any tips for the curry industry from other food sectors? Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, the official body that represents the fish and chip industry, says customers will always pay for quality, so it’s vital that the industry keeps maintaining quality levels.
“We are putting workshops on to help members calculate their gross profit and reduce waste,” he says. “Businesses may have to operate reduced hours. They are also reducing the size of their menus too whilst offering smaller options and other species of fish to try to hit a price point. It is going to be really tough out there. This is a huge wake up call for the industry as we are so reliant on imports.”
Crook adds that every small business he has spoken to about the VAT return to 20% feels let down and abandoned.
“The spring statement is rather demotivating and that seems to be the consensus talking to other operators,” he says. “There is strong evidence that a lower rate of VAT not only encourages growth but also reduces fraud; this current system places a penalty on businesses who do everything they should and that cannot be fair. A VAT reduction isn’t a handout, it’s an investment. It would mean leaving more money for the hospitality industry to reinvest in their business, creating more jobs in businesses that supply and service our sector.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality said that prior to the conflict in Ukraine, the industry was already seeing inflation. Businesses are being faced with having to either further erode their margins, which is unviable for many independent businesses, or put up customer prices.
“Price increases are inevitable, they are inevitably going to be larger than businesses would like,” she says. “It’s that rock and a hard place, price versus demand. Businesses will look at every way they can to reduce costs and keep prices as low as possible for the customer. But I don’t think it will be possible to insulate customers from price increases, particularly with the rising cost of VAT.”
UKHospitality added that the return to 20% VAT is a real setback for thousands of UK hospitality businesses still suffering the devastating effects of Covid, and facing this tidal wave of rising costs.
“For many businesses, the removal of the lifeline of a lower rate of VAT might prove fatal,” said Nicholls.”For a heavily, disproportionately taxed sector a return to 20% dashes the hopes that many businesses could begin to recoup some of the losses of the last two years. Operators in the sector – large and small, have several hurdles to clear on the road to recovery: huge accumulated debts; unprecedented rising costs for energy and raw goods; a chronic shortage of staff; and a fundamentally unfair and crippling business rates regime we’re desperate to see reformed.”
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Take – homes for takeaways
Takeaways are big business, having grown across the UK in the last year. Curry Life catches up with two Indian takeaways to find out where the challenges lie and their tips for success
Whichever survey you look at, It’s clear the takeaway restaurant industry boomed in 2021. Figures from Barclaycard released last December showed that spending on takeaways and fast food increased by 62% in 2021, largely fuelled by the pandemic.
A study conducted among 2,000 adults, commissioned by Vodafone together with Just Eat, shows that the Brits are a nation of takeaway lovers. The findings, released in April, say a quarter of those surveyed, (25%) admitted to ordering takeaway meals three or four times a month. Findings showed that while people share a nationwide love of ordering meals at home, what they order differs across the country. Those in the North East for example, opt for traditional fish and chips as their favourite takeaway dish, while Londoners prefer pizza and are the biggest spenders, with an average of £73.70 spent on takeaways each month.
Curry also holds its own, with the Vodafone survey showing Indian food is also a top takeaway choice in the south-east of the country. A separate Just East survey, carried out across December and January 2022, put Indian as the third top-rated cuisine in England, and the favourite food in the West Midlands, particularly in Telford and The Wrekin. Despite Indian cuisine receiving a lower score in Worcester, the Korma dish has one of the highest ratings here than in any other district.
Obesity concerns
Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that across the UK, the 43,235 takeaways and mobile food stands recorded last year represented a 5.6 per cent rise from 2020 – the largest increase since 2015. Many places with the highest density of takeaways were in urban areas that would naturally attract the trade – Westminster in the centre of London topped the list of London boroughs, with 116.7 takeaways per 100,000 people.
There are concerns, however, that the rise in takeaways is contributing to increased obesity levels. A report in the The Times highlights a World Health Organisation report released last month, quoting Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, the WHO lead for non-communicable diseases in Europe. He said the UK ‘was ahead of other European countries in adopting a lifestyle with “more and more digital screen time”, with online food deliveries and exposure to junk food advertising. He said obesity rates are increasing ‘because the measures being taken are not yet adequate”. The WHO report cites UK research which shows that someone eating a takeaway meal consumes on average 200 more calories per day than when eating food prepared at home.
Such meals are typically higher in calories, fat, sugar and salt, while portion sizes are often larger, “which encourages overeating, particularly if there is little price differential between portion sizes”, the report adds.
A challenging environment
Takeaways are also not immune from the challenges that have hit the hospitality industry nationwide, such as increased prices for ingredients and hikes in energy costs. There are also calls for takeaways to become more sustainable. In a survey of 7,000 global consumers commissioned by online order management provider Deliverect, respondents revealed eco-friendly takeaway and delivery options are important to their ordering decisions. While 65% of survey respondents said they find healthy, sustainable eating to be more expensive, almost half (43%) are willing to pay more for takeaways where there are visible sustainability practices. Another 47% would even consider changing what they order from the menu to be more sustainable.
So what do takeaways think of the current business landscape? Curry Life spoke to Gyash Uddin, the owner of Fusion Foods in Markyate, St Alban’s and Abdul Malik, chef at Bolton’s Little India takeaway.
Fuson Foods
For Uddin, who opened Fusion Foods in 2019, having previously had a restaurant close by, business boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has noticed however that the takeaway is not as busy now as it has been, with rising energy costs making people more cautious about where they spend their money.
“We are seeing a pattern now with our regulars who used to come in two or three times a week – now they are just coming once a week,” he says. “It’s certainly quietened down.”
Uddin has seen a huge increase in the price of food – a 10 kilogram box of chicken for example that used to cost £34 is now £51. He says that dealing with the rising cost of living is not as simple as increasing the prices of food; instead he uses social media such as Facebook and Instagram to offer promotions to his loyal customers, one example being if they have 10 takeaways, they can get a certain amount off the next one. He has also reduced his menu, taking out several fish dishes, such as those featuring monkfish, trout and seabass.
“It’s about being clever with the advertising and keeping standards high,” says Uddin. “The quality has to be consistent and the food has to be tasty. We’re in a small village of around 4,000 people and everyone knows everyone else, I know all the takeaway’s customers. We’ve been in business for three years now. When you first start, everything is new and it’s all too easy for standards to slip but you need to keep the same level of consistency.”
Uddin is also keen to involve customers as much as possible, particularly when designing new menus, and he often invites up to 10 customers to taste new dishes and give their opinion.
“We give tasters to customers when they come in and I cook new dishes and ask them what they feel is right or wrong with it,” he says. “We have something similar to a korma and when we introduced it, we invited the korma lovers to come in because they will know whether the taste will work and it’s similar with the spicy dishes. There’s a lot of competition, even in a small village so we need to make sure the quality is always high.
With its location within a small village, Fusion Foods does not use third party delivery options, employing its own drivers instead. For Uddin, it’s vital to have reliable staff on board, particularly with a takeaway business, where people expect to have hot food, delivered on time. He is now looking to open another takeaway close by, in Harpenden.
Little India
Little India’s Abdul Malik enjoys the fast-paced environment of a takeaway business, and the fact that he can serve multiple customers all at the same time, He thrives on the pressures of takeaway – ensuring that the time from order to delivery is acceptable, that food is delivered on time and that dishes remain hot.
Like Fusion Foods, Little India does not use third party partners for orders and deliveries, preferring to handle the logistics in-house.
“We are an independent business, we advertise for ourselves and we don’t use a third party as we think we deserve the credit,” says Malik. Third parties provide a website – the hard work comes from the inside.”
Over lockdown, Malik says the Bolton takeaway was very busy, with the business switching to contactless delivery and ensuring it could keep its customers happy while managing health and safety levels within Covid guidelines. But he acknowledges the situation is quite different now, with increasing pressure on the business owing to the high price of ingredients.
“We use quality ingredients but due to inflation, the higher cost of living and the situation in Ukraine, prices have shot up,” he says. “We want to ensure our customers get the same quality so we are faced with a real challenge. We’ve been in our location for such a long time and customers have recognised our hard work, they are like family and they have seen us provide the same consistency time and time again.”
Malik says it is important that customers realize that any price changes are not about making more money but about keeping the business going and providing the same standard his customers are used to.
Little India also endorses social media, saying it is a great way to keep in touch with customers and promote the restaurant to a wider base.
“We are on Facebook and Google; it’s important to be on these channels because the majority of marketing is done digitally – before it was all about leaflets,” says Malik. “We’ve seen an increase in our business through social channels and it’s easier to talk to our customers via messenger services. There is so much competition in the takeaway industry that we need to keep in touch with our customers and keep them happy so they come back for more.”
Malik also recognises the trend for more healthy food options and says it’s important for perceptions around takeaway food to change. “We are reducing the amount of calories in our dishes and trying not to use too much fat or oil, all of which will benefit our customers,” he says. “There are lots of ways to do this, it’s about being proactive and wanting to change, then you can experiment with different approaches.”
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