A POPULAR Caribbean diner that opened in the city centre a few months ago is opening a take-away in the same vicinity to keep up with demand.
Kokobay Carribean opened inside the Sunbridgewells complex in April.
But owner, Errol Watson said he’s overwhelmed and can't believe the positive response the sit-down restaurant has had, so he is opening a takeaway restaurant that will also do online delivery orders to keep up with the demand.
He said: “It has just been a dream. We’re busy every night we’re open. I knew it would be busy but not on this scale. It’s just gone mental and I think the next step is now to open the take-away.
“We’re very lucky and it was a bit of a miracle because a unit literally opposite the current restaurant became available so we’ve got that, and it got a huge kitchen so we will be able to do lunches and online orders which we haven’t had the space to do before.”
Errol said that he’s got an amazing chef who cooks traditional Caribbean food, and everything available on the diner’s menu will be available for the take-out menu.
“The most popular dish is definitely the curried goat or jerk chicken. We get through two whole goats a week, and because it’s halal everyone can eat it,” he said.
Going forwards, Errol wants to create a chain of Caribbean takeaways across Yorkshire because it’s ’the only cuisine you can’t get readily on demand’ on apps such as JustEat and Deliveroo.
He added: “There’s so many diverse nationalities in Bradford that the diner has just worked. Everyone wants to try something new but at the moment the Caribbean just isn’t recognised on a wider scale and that’s what's driving me to do this.
“My dream is to create several takeaways around the Yorkshire region and this is the first one so we get recognised like anyone else and every other cuisine like Indian and Chinese.”
“Opening the new takeaway will give us more kitchen space, so we can do the specials menu that we haven’t been able to do, and also be able to open for lunches as well.
“It’s just been outstanding, a dream come true for me,” he said.
At the moment, the diner inside Sunbridgewells is open from Tuesday until Saturday from 5 pm until 11 pm.
The takeaway is due to open on July 1 on Uppermillergate in the city centre from 12 pm until 11pm.
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