Good food, friendly staff and potential romance. Follow the journey of Erkan, the owner of both Delicious Café and Shish BBQ

One could say Erkan has always been quite the business man. Having worked at a market stall during his time at university he developed the spirit of entrepreneurialism. As a result, he decided to open his own market stall after graduating where he spent a lot of time learning key customer service skills, he would put to great use later on. Although he was very happy with his market stall, Erkan says he just wanted a bit more. He says he always dreamed of owning a restaurant so when the properties became available, he pounced at the opportunity, marking the birth story of Delicious Café and Shish BBQ at a later stage.

Operating since 2002, Delicious Café is home to a tasty, well-received traditional breakfast. This breakfast is the most ordered item on the menu and consists of one griddled egg, two rashers of bacon, sausage, baked beans and chips all at an affordable price of £5.25. This is served alongside one of Erkan’s favourite dish on the menu, eggs florentine; two poached eggs on muffins with spinach drizzled with a creamy, homemade hollandaise sauce. Additionally, Delicious Café offers a range of vegetarian options including its special veggie breakfast and a variety of three egg omelettes. This includes, but is not limited to a plain omelette, a cheesy omelette and a mushroom omelette. There is also a range of salads including the all-time favourite, caesar salad for the people like me who are watching the pounds. I don’t know about you but my mouth is watering. The fully thought-through menu has something that is everyone’s cup of tea (no pun intended). It serves as the perfect spot for a quick bite or a sit down with a friend or the little ones with a special kid’s menu on offer. The reviews of the food are extremely promising.

Not only is the food good, the staff are extremely friendly. Customers are greeted with a warm smile on the friendliest of faces and the staff are attentive to all the needs of their customers. They even sometimes slip in an extra serving. Shhh, don’t tell them I told you that. In fact, the staff members’ personalities are so friendly and captivating that two staff members ended up meeting in the café and falling deeply in love. Aww what a beautiful story to tell the grandchildren. Perhaps this could be the spot for your unorthodox love story; love at first bite. Why don’t you visit and find out?

Despite the current success of the business, it wasn’t always like this. When Erkan first leased the property, he had little to no knowledge of the food industry. As a result, he quickly signed up for a course and treated the café as a learning curve. Erkan says the most important lesson he learned and his top tip for anyone looking to enter the world of food, “don’t take anything for granted.” He went on to say that despite the struggles of learning the trade, he is happiest in the café and by the looks of it, so are his customers. A regular customer of the business says his visit to the café is the highlight of his days. The business continued to run smoothly until the start of the pandemic. Due to the lack of footfall Delicious Café experienced a decline in customers and their regulars were resistant to the new safety rules implemented in the business in line with Public Health England. This, combined with the heightened fear during the pandemic, Delicious Café took a hard blow. Nonetheless Erkan’s natural entrepreneurial spirit allowed him to navigate the business through its time of hardship. He made good use of bounce back loans and government grants to keep the business afloat. He did this successfully and went on to open Shish BBQ next door.

Influenced by Erkan’s strong Turkish background, Shish BBQ is a kebab takeaway situated in the heart of Ilford opening last September. Having learnt the tricks of the trade from the café, Erkan had Shish BBQ up and running in no time. The reviews of the business reflect its high standards and commitment to serving delicious food made with fresh ingredients and homemade sauces. One customer stated that the chicken kebab is the best in Ilford. Another one went as far as saying it is the best donner kebab he has ever had in his life. These are extremely promising reviews and I don’t know about you but I can’t wait for my next trip to Ilford. First stop: Shish BBQ.

Good vibes, friendly staff and a potential love story. What more could anyone possibly want? The perfect place for a sit down or takeaway, visit Shish BBQ and Delicious Café today. See you there!