Fights in kebab shops and Boris Johnson: meet the campaigner revolutionising the British kebab industry

Across the river from Big Ben, and just a stone’s throw away from the London Eye, you’ll find a kebab restaurant that brings together the Mediterranean and Middle East under one roof.

That’s no mean feat. We’re talking about a tradition, which, after all, belongs not only to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, but also everywhere in between.

There I meet politician, campaigner and the owner himself, Mr Ibrahim Dogus. 

This is a man with incredible resilience and willpower. To put it into context, he came to the UK as a political refugee and has survived a shooting. That doesn’t stop him from working on a number of projects that aim to give back to the community and bring people together.

Perhaps his most fascinating campaign is one that brings government ministers like Boris Johnson, kebab shop owners and souvlatzides from across the country under one roof.

It’s called the British Kebab Awards, and this year marks the 12th ceremony.

Kebabs shops and world leaders

Not just Boris: Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn have also notably supported the Awards. Another well-known Member of Parliament, Nadim Zahawi, is a judge. 

The involvement of politicians isn’t just a ploy to promote the Awards from a publicity standpoint. It also makes the Awards a platform to promote the interests of the restaurant owners who, altogether, contribute some £2.8 billion to the UK economy every year.

“Ibrahim, how did you come to own a kebab restaurant?”

“I used to eat here regularly and use it as a place to hold meetings, and so I became friends with the owner. One day he came and said to me, ‘I’ve got some bad news for you… I’m going to have to sell the restaurant – it’s losing money.’

I said to him, ‘You can’t sell it, I need this place!’” Ibrahim recalls.

Together, they devised a plan for Ibrahim to buy the restaurant. He took over and, in under three years, paid off all its debts.

Somewhere between the imam bayildi and shish kebabs, he tells me a little about the challenges of running a successful restaurant business, as well as the challenges of marketing one. 

Inflation and global supply issues have compounded those challenges in recent years and have, at times, led to an acute increase in overheads. Branding and reputation are the other issues.

“You rarely hear positive press about kebab shops,” notes Ibrahim. A quick Google of ‘kebab shop’ at the time of writing reveals a string of articles about alarming hygiene ratings and fights in kebab shops.

But what about the good ones?

The British Kebab Awards aim to counter the disproportionately negative press by giving kebab shops the recognition they deserve and work hard for. 

When asked, “What’s your go-to meal after a night out?“, many of you might say kebab. It’s because of that association with drinking and nightlife that kebab shops are often overlooked and maligned in the UK.

Consider, though, why that association exists in the first place: kebab shops are among the few fast-food shops that have the work ethic to stay open that late. Few will credit them for that.

The Awards present an opportunity for the food we all turn to and depend on, as well as the people behind the counters and by the charcoal, to be celebrated.

So how do the Awards work?

You, the public, submit nominations and then vote for your favourites, which are finally assessed by judges according to a clear scoring system (which covers everything from Google reviews to hygiene ratings). There 20 categories, from Greek and Lebanese, to regional categories, and one for suppliers. 

You can find and vote for the finalists here until voting closes next week:

When and where are the Awards this year?

Tuesday 27th February. London.

Kebabination is going. Are you?

Kebabination is the first and only place documenting everything kebab-related in detail and in one place. We’re starting off by searching for the best souvlakia.

Are you gonna join us?

With love & good company,

Alex @ Kebabination