A brand new style of restaurant is promising to reinvent the kebab for the British public. No longer will the kebab be considered an unhealthy, greasy, after-pub snack… as it has now undergone a much needed makeover. Food writer Giles Wicks takes a detailed look at a new German engineered kebab.
German Doner Kebab (GDK), a new fast-food concept in the UK, is an international phenomenon with 45 stores worldwide. It was created in Germany in 1989, with the vision to create classic, authentic and healthy kebabs, combining high quality produce with excellent customer service.
A GDK kebab has less than half the calories of a regular kebab, as it only uses 100% lean, succulent, halal meat, along with handmade breads and signature sauces. GDK takes a healthy and nutrionally balanced approach to the traditional kebab.
Introducing GDK to Kilburn are experienced businessmen Fahad Yusaf and Safwan Adam. Kilburn is situated in the north-west of London, and the new store will be situated on the famous Kilburn High Road, which is renowned for its diverse range of shops, eateries and pubs. This area of London is well known for its multi-cultural population, excellent transport links, and lively community. The Kilburn restaurant is one of the first GDK outlets to open in the UK, with 92 new stores planned to open in the coming years.
Fahad Yusaf tells me: “GDK is a brand new concept in the UK, but is a very successful brand worldwide, particularly in the Middle East. GDK is focused on quality, and is committed to changing people’s perception of the kebab. The fast food market is very competitive, and usually seen as unhealthy, however GDK brings in a new dimension to the kebab market by offering a quality fresh gourmet range which is also healthy… a kebab without the guilt.”
Fahad adds: “We chose Kilburn as it is a very busy, multi-cultural borough of London, famed for its lively community and diverse range of eateries. We see it as the perfect location to open our first GDK outlet. In the future we hope to open a cluster of stores around this area so we can introduce the German engineered kebab to as many people as possible.”
GDK is a fast-food franchise, which opened its first store in Berlin in 1989 and spent the next decade perfecting its policies and procedures, its unique blend of traditional spices and exclusive products, as well as refining and improving its innovative cooking processes.
The kebab is very popular in Germany and is considered the number one street food. When created, the vision was to produce to provide fresh, tasty and healthy kebabs using high quality produce combined with excellent customer service.
In contrast to most kebab outlets the GDK concept is primarily a sit-in restaurant as well as providing take-away with a 60/40 split predicted. GDK’s tried and tested methods are totally different to the way other operators make their kebabs. The result is a nutritionally sound gourmet food experience that contains virtually no preservatives or additives. Maintaining authenticity and originality in making kebabs is one of the main objectives of the business.
A GDK franchise is a very simple business to operate. All the policies and procedures are already proven and in place, plus it does not require a qualified chef to prepare the meals, it’s more a case of assembling the ingredients…. the German Engineered Kebab. One million fans on the international Facebook page can’t be wrong!
For more information, visit www.gdkuk.com.
