November 17th, 2010
One of Bradford’s leading Asian food groups is launching a new cooked food retailing venture close to its Shipley base which will create ten jobs.
The Aagrah Group believes it is breaking new ground with its food Court operation which will open next month in a converted bar next to the main restaurant on Saltaire Road. The new jobs being created will take Aagrah’s total workforce to 360.
If successful, the Aagrah food court concept will be expanded to other locations.
The new venture has been launched in the light of the tough economic climate and will sell chilled dishes at up to a 20 per cent discount on the usual Aagrah prices.
The food court will not be confined to Asian food, and will also offer a range of cuisine from Indian to Mediterranean dishes.
The new outlet will sell freshly-cooked chilled dishes from the Aagrah menu and beyond in special containers for re-heating and consumption at home. It will also replace the takeaway service from the existing Shipley restaurant.
The food court will provide plush surroundings with seating, complimentary coffee and a widescreen TV for customers waiting for orders, but will not have a dining area.
An Aagrah spokesman said the food court was “a new heat-and-eat-at-home dining experience for people on the go, serving a large variety of freshly-cooked chilled cuisine from the sub-continent”
She said: “We believe we are breaking new ground and that Aagrah Food Court will be the first such operation in the North of England and possibly in the South, where we’re not aware of anyone offering a choice of cuisine.”
Mohammed Aslam, Aagrah Group managing director, said: “As we continue to grow our brand in various markets across the region we are thrilled to launch the food court concept as we believe this will serve a different customer base and is designed to make life easy for busy people.”
In addition to the food court, the building will house the Saltaire Suite, a private function room for up to 60 people, with its own bar and tailor-made menus. There is also a smaller conference room for up to 12 delegates.
The new venture is the latest expansion by the award-winning family-run Aagrah Group of Restaurants, which has grown over the past 30 years into a chain of 11 restaurants in Yorkshire serving more than 15,000 diners a week. Aagrah also provides outside catering for up to 5,000 venues across the UK.
Its £4m Midpoint Suite at Thornbury, a conference and banqueting centre, has hosted around 450 events since it opened 18 months ago.
Aagrah was started by Mohammed Sabir, who began creating authentic Kashmiri dishes at the Shipley restaurant he opened in 1977.
Source: Telegraph & Argus
