The Kebab and Grill Co Has Won the Hearts of Local People
A popular restaurant has won the hearts of many after it’s decision to employ homeless people.
The Kebab and Grill Co, based on Slade Road in Erdington, opened in December and has gone on to employ three of the 10 permanent staff from the homeless community in their kitchens.
One of the owners of the restaurant, Waqar Mirza, provides regular meals to the local homeless charity, Birmingham Homeless Outreach.
Waqar said, “Why not change lives if you can? When I took them on, they had no confidence. Now their confidence has grown. I want this to be a community diner. I want it to be a community hub. I want to plough something back into schools and the people. Nothing is impossible.”
After having a very successful career in construction the entrepreneurs ventured into the food business and chose Britain’s second city as the ideal place to set up.
“London is my playground, a place with a huge diversity of cuisine…Brazilian, Singapore, and Malaysian. When I came to Birmingham, I used to continually whinge about the lack of choice. One day a friend told me to stop whinging and do something about it.”
“It’s a lot more expensive, but you can taste the difference. Everyone wants good food – some people can afford it and some people can’t. I buy locally, but I don’t source locally. All our lamb is from Ireland and of the finest quality.”
“I’m a risk taker. I believe that as long as my food is good, people will come. I knew this was not going to be a walk in the park, but it is happening. I’ve always wanted to open a top quality diner, not a takeaway.”
