Dudley supper club turns to takeaway amid coronavirus outbreak
A traditional Indian dining experience in Dudley has made the transition to a takeaway service during the coronavirus pandemic.
Niraj Dhokia and his wife Leena have run a successful Supper club from their home in Dudley since July 2017.
The club, which is called "Niraj's Kitchen", features a selection of traditional Indian food inspired by family recipes and served by Niraj and Leena.
The couple would normally welcome customers to their home and provide them with a full social dining experience, including mocktails and a full waiter and waitress service.
Since the social distancing restrictions were put in place by the Government due to the pandemic, the couple had to cancel the in-house dining experience.
Niraj said the focus of the club changing to a takeaway service was an organic one.
He said: "It wasn't anything that we initially thought of because we were doing our supper clubs and had plenty of bookings.
"But with the current Covid-19 situation and the lockdown, it kind of forced us into offering the takeaway service.
"After cancelling the bookings we had, we said to them that we've already done a lot of the preparation of all the foods for you.
Trial
"From that, we can offer you a takeaway - there's too much for us to consume and we didn't want it go to waste.
"After the trial run was successful, we decided that while the lockdown is in place, we can still keep our food going out to a small customer base and possibly introduce new people to it."
The service works through an email order to Niraj from a set menu on the club's Facebook page and a payment made online, then made ready for collection at Niraj and Leena's home.
Niraj has also said the club is partnering with a domestic abuse campaigner's Go Fund Me page to raise donations for people suffering from domestic abuse during the pandemic.
The club is also offering a 10 per cent discount to any customer who donates to the campaign until the end of the year.
To find out more about Niraj's Kitchen, go to facebook.com/NirajsKitchen/
To find out more and to donate to the Go Fund Me page, go to gofundme.com/f/domestic-violence-saveme
