Cafe owner reveals kebab van scheme

A kebab van could open next to a popular roadside cafe after the owner spotted a gap in the fastfood market.

Amanpreet Hundal, who runs the Blue and White Cafe off the A20 near Smeeth, says a lack of takeaway options in the area during the evenings has sparked the idea.

He wants to offer the service from Thursday to Saturday between 3pm and 9pm and hopes the “well-lit” food van will stop lorry drivers parking next to the cafe.

Mr Hundal submitted his plans to Ashford Borough Council last week and says the scheme will allow him to expand his business in a “cost-effective” way.

Traditional Turkish kebabs and piri-piri chicken are set to feature on the menu.

“Due to public demand and lack of evening fast-food within the community, I have decided to start a food van offering Turkish cuisine,” Mr Hundal said.

“I cannot do this cuisine in my cafe due to kitchen size and the cost involved in redesigning the kitchen and equipment.

“The site currently provides sufficient parking for my busy cafe with potential between 15 to 20 cars.

“The proposal is to change a small part of the car park, which will use two car park spaces leaving more than enough room for customers to pull in, safely park and exit back on the A20.”

The roadside cafe - which reopened for takeaway only last Monday - has a chequered history.

In October 2003, it was destroyed by what police believed was a suspicious fire.

Then, after being rebuilt, a large hole was left in the side of the building in November 2009 when a Ferrari crashed into the wall.

Mr Hundal - who will employ new staff to work in the kebab van - says his team will be keeping a close eye on litter at the roadside.

He added: “There are no takeaway outlets within a three-mile radius that I will be impacting as there are only pubs in the area which offer a different cuisine.

“We also have a tremendous problem with lorries parking on private land overnight and dumping waste on our ground, so this well-lit food van will be a deterrent to potential trespassers.”

■ To view the plan, visit www. ashford.gov.uk and search for the 20/00618/AS reference.

Part of the car park at the Blue and White Cafe off the A20 will house a kebab van if Ashford Borough Council gives the green light

A Ferrari crashed into the building in 2009, above, six years after the cafe was destroyed by fire