Despite some of my friends insisting on calling it 'Some rat', this had always been my first choice for an Indian takeaway and I'm astonished it has closed.
Like most of these sad closures the reasons are complex and recent employers NI contributions and minimum wage increases can't have helped. Also the poor hygiene rating it received a few years ago must have been very damaging, although it improved at a subsequent inspection, it will have put a lot of people off. I haven't read the inspectors' original report but I do know that sometimes these poor ratings can be a result of inadequate record keeping and other technical issues that small business owners who might not have English as a first language often struggle with. Ealing's inspectors seem to be particularly tough.
The other issue may be the online delivery companies. They provide much more competition and give terrible terms to the existing businesses that do sign up with them. Talking to other local restaurant owners, there really is no choice as your business will be particularly targeted if you are off the platform but the margins on orders you do get is terrible.
Whatever the reason, the chances are that over the next few years most Indian takeaways in Ealing will be cooked in the massive dark kitchen facility being built in North Acton.
Gordon Southwell ● 69d