The restaurant industry in the UK is worth a whopping £40bn, demonstrating its resilience to the economic downturn.

It’s no wonder that husband and wife team Abdul and Siema Toheed launched their new business venture, Waheed’s Banqueting Hall only last month in the heart of Blackburn in Randall Street.

Abdul said: “My wife and I are both major foodies. We have 12 years’ experience in the food industry.

“We go out to eat a lot. When we were visiting restaurants in Manchester and Bradford, we realised there was something missing from Blackburn.

“We decided to create a bespoke dining environment in Blackburn with a unique ambience for people who enjoy dining out.

“Our emphasis is on traditional food.

“You’ll find at most buffets, the biggest gripe people have is that the focus is always on creating delicious starters. But the main courses always fall short.

“Our main courses as well as our starters are our pride and joy.
“Each recipe has been created from my own kitchen. 

“From a young age I used to help my mum cook.

“Our speciality dishes are desi gosht, nihari, paaya and bhoona gosht.

 

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“We also have 14 different flavours of ice-cream including Turkish Delight, Tutti Fruiti and Ferrero Rocher flavour. All our ice cream comes from an award winning Italian company.

“We will be open throughout Ramadan. We are offering free iftari and drinks for all our customers.”

Eating out has become the new norm. As consumers have changed their spending habits over the last few years, research suggests people would rather cut back on spending on other sectors to ensure they can eat out at their favourite restaurants.

Abdul added, “I find that people these days tend to go out to eat more frequently. Often both the husband and wife are working.

“There isn’t time to concentrate on cooking big traditional meals for the family.

“That is why families love coming to us. We provide that delicious home cooked meal in a relaxed and elegant setting."

The intensity of running a business with a spouse can potentially result in dire consequences.  Siema, however says their equal partnership helps to prevent problems.

Siema said, “I know many people question the transition from ‘personal’ to ‘business’ relationship. But we definitely see an advantage in working together. Our individual skills complement each other and that is what benefits the business.”

Abdul said, “My wife’s support is invaluable. I could not have achieved any success in my life without her.

“Our heart and soul is in our recipes.

“I believe if it’s not cooked with love, it shouldn’t be cooked at all.”