No falafel-ing about... we’re staying
THE owner of a popular falafel stand has assured customers that he is saying put – despite plans being submitted to turf him out.
Iyanya Barcha has rented the unit on Hope Street for two years.
The hot food stand, which is attached to the premises formally occupied by Fusion Food supermarket, is a popular feature of the street and has been given more than a dozen ‘excellent’ reviews online.
But concerns were raised that the owner might be forced out after plans to turn the former supermarket into a sushi restaurant were given the green light by council bosses.
Speaking to the Evening Times, Mr Barcha said: “My landlord has assured me that we will be able to stay and that the restaurant won’t affect us.
“I have a lot of customers that would be very disappointed to see me go.”
The owner said he has no intention of moving to a bigger premises to accommodate his growing popularity.
Developers looking to open a Kokoro eatery at 116 Sauchiehall Street described the site as ‘not fit for purpose’ in the proposal, stating that the building is in an unsatisfactory condition with a number of larger units unoccupied and smaller units accommodating temporary uses.
Their design statement detailed their intention to remove the falafel stand and included an image showing what the completed restaurant would look like, in which the stand did not feature.
Developers said that “the current site detracts from the character and quality of the B-listed building”.
Kokoro were granted permission for the applications subject to several conditions that did not involve keeping the food stand.