The Sweet Centre has not always been a destination of choice for some people. Bradford currently enjoys the splendour of South Asian sweet and savoury foods in the most welcoming environment, largely because of one man’s perseverance and passion for good food. His establishment flourished into one of Bradford’s busiest and most renowned restaurants. All of this, however, would not be possible without the loyal customers who, regardless of the circumstance, always came to indulge in Sweet Centre Bradfords finest delights.
We occasionally touch on the history of Sweet Centre here and there, but now we’re going to delve even further into what gave rise to the current state of our most acclaimed establishment. How did a little company that had a humble start in 1964 grow into a restaurant with a strong identity and the ability to even supply theatres around the Yorkshire region?
Lack of presence of South Asian restaurants
Despite Bradford having held the title of “Curry Capital of the UK” for six years running, residents of Bradford used to view curry as an alien meal. The locals did not really like the scent of curry, especially the garlicky aroma. Also, South Asian sweets were rarely available to the general public, so there was a small number of customers who were interested in trying new South Asian snacks.
However, migrant workers from Pakistan and India who longed for delicacies that made them nostalgic for their home countries were the sweet Centre’s first customers. It became difficult for Bradford’s quickly expanding Pakistani and Indian communities to find places where they could eat their familiar sweets and savoury meals in a welcoming environment. Through this, the late Haji Abdul Rehman saw an opportunity to assist others who faced the same struggle of finding good Indian food.
It was clear that there was not a lot of competition to build a profitable business, because there were so few south Asian restaurants and dessert shops. Because of this, when he first opened, he thought it was beneficial for Bradford to be Sweet Centres desired location. This is because it was a place with enough traffic to draw passing customers, but without high rents or fierce competition.
Passion for South Asian cuisine
The late Haji Abdul Rehman understood that this was both a challenge and an opportunity. He already managed a thriving grocery store at 194 Lumb Lane, but in classic imaginative style, he decided to invest his entire life’s earnings in starting a sweet shop.
Despite the ups and downs, he was able to meet the financial responsibilities throughout the “make or break phase,” which many beginning restaurateurs find difficult to get through. He was able to launch his business quickly by writing a business plan that served as a roadmap for staying on course while juggling the many moving elements involved in opening and effectively running a new restaurant. However, his prior experience owning a grocery shop was helpful in this entire process of starting up Sweet Centre.
Being the least represented cuisine in the UK at the time, South Asian food was the main focus of the menu. Coming from a South-Asian background, he was motivated to start this business by a personal desire to give other Desis the food that they truly wanted. He was able to identify the best south Asian snacks and sweets to market as a result by establishing a clientele.
On December 12th, 1964, Sweet Centre officially opened its doors to the public and was a huge hit!
How people fell in love with the food
By the 1970s, the company had grown from a three-person start-up to a seven-person operation. The popularity of Sweet Centre had evolved, and still does each year as more and more visitors from all over the UK stop by to try our traditional sweets and savoury dishes.
The employees at Sweet Centre have always strived to make and deliver foods perfectly each time. Our restaurant and café place a great value on consistency because we want our customers to anticipate that the foods they have come to love will always be of the same excellent calibre. Our menu offers some delicious dishes that are very easy to prepare. These straightforward but timeless foods are tasty, modern, and fresh.
According to the late Haji Abdul Rehman himself, “All our sweets are mixed by hand. It takes great skill to know when the sugars and other ingredients are blended correctly.”
Even the queen herself held them in high regard! The most popular mithai from Sweet Centre was given to H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 by the ate Haji Abdul Rehman.
Popularity of Indian food
Indian eateries first emerged in England in the 19th century, serving Asian students. In the 1950s and 1960s, they grew to suit the surge of newly arriving south Asian factory employees. However, their golden era didn’t start until the 1970s, when they changed their menus to cater to a working-class, white clientele. In Britain, there were 3,500 Indian restaurants by 1982, and going out for a curry was a well-known pass-time.
The growth of the Asian sweets and savoury market had a major impact on Sweet Centre. Although many mainstream establishments, including catering businesses, schools and pubs were quick to include “curries” on their menus, they did not perfectly replicate the authentic flavour or “Indian restaurant experience” that the majority of Indian diners had. The greatest desi cuisine and desserts are the sole focus of South Asian establishments like Sweet Centre.
Customer Relations
Despite having been in operation for more than 50 years, Sweet Centre is still recognised as one of the UK’s most respected restaurants serving authentic, home-cooked South Asian cuisine. We provide a wonderful setting for family and friends to catch up while enjoying meals they’ve enjoyed since childhood. Individuals from various backgrounds gather in a lively, upbeat setting to celebrate their shared appreciation of superb south Asian cooking. In Haji Abdul Rehman’s kitchen, every dish was created from scratch using his own recipes, that we still use today.
We establish connections with our clients in a number of different ways. We provide online reservation systems like Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo. Also, we encourage customers to submit reviews on Google and TripAdvisor so we can understand their first-handed experiences of dining at Sweet Centre and suggest solutions to satisfy unhappy consumers. We have established an online community where Sweet Centre clients can stay up to date on the latest specials and exclusive offers, using well-known social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Finally, we would like to thank all our visitors for coming to dine with us and for their long-standing support.
Along with our goal of delivering high-quality meals, we also aspire to uphold the late Haji Abdul Rehman’s legacy and dream.
