Brothers reopen restaurant after chef granted visa

AN AWARD-WINNING restaurant that was forced to close after the Turkish chef had his visa refused has reopened.

Oz Urfa was a popular restaurant in Cardiff’s City Road run by Faruk Yavuzel and his brother and business partner Ferudan.

It won the Taste of Wales Best World Cuisine Restaurant award in 2016 but was forced to close the same year after Faruk was threatened with a £20,000 fine if he continued working due to an issue with his visa.

But now Faruk has a visa and is allowed to work, the pair have reopened their restaurant in Cardiff’s North Road.

Ferudan, 43, said: “Last year we had to close the restaurant [as] the chef had the issue with the visa and the Home Office. But now we’ve reopened again after my brother applied for the fresh application to the Home Office and he’s got his three-year visa.”

Although the pair considered moving the business outside of Cardiff they decided to stay.

Ferudan said: “I would like to give massive thanks to our friends and supporters. We had a massive campaign from the local authority, local government, and most of the support we got from around the country and in Wales. We had massive support from the community so we are so happy.

“We had the opportunity to go to England to open the restaurant but my brother decided to stay in Cardiff because the people of Wales supported my brother. He wanted to stay in Wales.”

He said the new restaurant, which employs four people, features the same menu and a similar decor.

Faruk, 45, came to Wales in 2012 on a Turkish businessperson’s visa which is valid under the decades-old Ankara Agreement for those who invest in and develop a business.

Both brothers invested £17,000 in their original restaurant, which specialised in grilled meats and fish and Mediterranean cuisine.

But the Home Office refused to renew Faruk’s visa saying he had failed to demonstrate that he could make a living from the restaurant.

After a massive campaign Faruk was granted the right to stay in the UK for a further three years.

The Home Office originally took the view that Faruk wasn’t earning enough from the restaurant to justify being allowed to stay but there was a change of heart.

When news of Faruk’s plight became known, members of the Hope Not Hate organisation organised a “solidarity meal” to show support, packing out the restaurant.

The original site in City Road has been replaced with a burger restaurant.