Glasgow doner kebab fast food firm makes sensational debut in New York

New York magazine’s food and drink blog, Grub Street, is the preminent source of news, trends and intrigue from America’s most competitve hospitality scene. It can make or break the reputation of a restaurant in the city. This week, the third most read story, receiving attention from the website’s global audience, is a feature on “The Kebab Chain Poised to Shake Up New York’s Doner Scene”

The fast food chain causing a commotion stateside is German Doner Kebab, an ever more common sight across Glasgow.

The company is owned by Athif and Asim Sarwar, sons of former Glasgow MP Mohammed, brothers of Scottish Labour leader Anas.

German Doner Kebab started at a single location in Berlin in 1989. The first franchise opened in Dubai in 2013. A majority stake was bought by the Sarwar family’s Hero Brands, which also owns Hawaiian food brand Island Poké and salad restaurant Choppaluna, and its headquarters moved to Glasgow.

The brand has grown rapidly to over 140 restaurants across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. The next phase of expansion includes Saudi Arabia and Ireland.

This year, GDK plan to take their doner from Glasgow to North America. The brand opened its first US site at American Dream Mall in New Jersey in 2021 and have created a sensation since opening in Astoria in the Queens borough of New York on 6 February.

Midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn are next.

“While gyro, shawarma and shish kebabs are known to many Americans, doner kebabs are a new experience in both taste and presentation to most”, Nigel Belton, managing director of German Doner Kebab North America told the Astoria Post.

“But we are confident, based upon the success of our first restaurant in New Jersey that Americans will love and embrace our gourmet doner kebabs; and what better place to prove ourselves than in the culinary ‘mecca’ of New York City.

“Astoria is just the beginning in NYC”.

Grub Street’s food reviewer was less convinced that GDK brought a new dimension to the impossibly cosmopolitan and eclectic food scene in New York, even within the international melting pot of the Queens neighbourhood. They did, however, recognise that the spiced doner meat and Turkish bread, toasted with a waffle pattern, was already proving to be a big success in the Big Apple.

“Based on the pale and skinny state of the kebabs on rotation, GDK NYC has been doing a lot of business, which surprised me because this is not a part of town that is lacking in superlative kebabs” Tammie Teclemariam wrote.

“Why would people be excited about a commercial fast-food newcomer? They even have a Doritos-branded “Doner Krunch Burger” made up of sliced kebab meat on a bun and layered with, yes, nacho-cheese tortilla chips and more melted cheese for glue.

“On this first trip, I opted for the “original German doner” which is served on a signature “toasted sesame waffle bread,” reportedly sourced from Dubai, while the meat comes from Maryland.

“The square pocket of waffle bread was split and stuffed abundantly with thinly sliced meat, lettuce, cabbage, onions, and tomato. Pretty, but the meat hadn’t really been browned on the spit and was more like a moist deli beef than a crusty kebab.

“More gallingly, there was definitely not enough sauce, and though the bread was fine, I didn’t really see the use in bringing it across the world when there are local bakeries that can do something similar.”

Despite that half-hearted endorsement, becoming talk of the town in New York within the first month of opening can be considered a successful debut. Reports suggest the kebab shop has been busy since opening.

“The USA offers a huge opportunity for GDK”, Glasgow based Imran Sayeed, Group CEO of German Doner Kebab International, said “and we are now looking forward to forging ahead with our exponential growth strategy and developing GDK as the fast-casual brand of the future in North America and the world.”

He stated last year that North America is the “next growth engine” for their restaurant business.

“I’ve given my commitment to the board of directors and our group chairman that, in the next three to five years, I see this brand IPOing on Wall Street, on the New York Stock Exchange,” he said.

Last summer, the company said its German Doner Kebab brand would open 78 new restaurants this year across the UK, creating almost 3,000 new jobs.

The ambition of the company is evident in the prospectus for potential GDK franchise holders. Athif Sarwar, Chairman of GDK International, says as introduction: “I am from a family of businessmen, politicians, entrepreneurs and investors based in the UK.

“My Father, Mohammed Sarwar (Britain’s first Muslim MP, and Ex-Governor of Punjab), came to the UK in 1976 and since then my family has worked very hard to create, establish and maintain many successful businesses.

“One of those businesses, United Wholesale, has over 500 convenience retail franchise stores across Scotland, and our wholesale operation, United Wholesale Scotland Ltd, is one of the largest in the UK with an annual turnover of more than £220m.

“By ensuring we find the very best partners in every country, German Doner Kebab has the potential to become one of the most successful food franchise brands in the world.”