Jubed Miah, 49, from Wavertree, manages Khaja Indian Takeaway in Woolton, Liverpool, a family-run business that has operated for over 17 years. The takeaway boasts a 4.8-star rating on TripAdvisor, making it one of the highest-rated Indian takeaways in the city. Miah told the Liverpool Echo: 'I couldn't sleep at night if I deceived my customers.'
Family Legacy and Customer Loyalty
The Miah family has worked in the Indian food industry for decades, including at the now-closed Passage of India restaurant on Bold Street, which opened in 1987. After leaving school, Jubed ran his own takeaway for nine years before moving to Woolton. He said: 'Within the 30 years I've been in the area I've made a lot of friends and the locals have been very supportive. We have very loyal customers and they've become like family friends to us.'
Quality Over Profit
Jubed attributes the takeaway's success to advice from his brother: 'You have to taste and eat your own food and if you like it, the customers will love it. Don't serve food you wouldn't eat yourself and you'll succeed.' The family uses a special spice mix developed over years, which they also use at home. 'If we love something then we'll give it to our customers,' Jubed said.
Despite rising costs in the hospitality industry, Khaja refuses to compromise on quality. Jubed explained: 'We use all fresh meat and we use lamb instead of mutton. A lot of other places use frozen meat and you can tell straight away because when you cook it, it loses all the flavour and becomes rubbery and chewy. The price of fresh produce has gone really high but we haven't cut any corners because I know if we did that we'd lose customers. I'd rather go and work somewhere else than serve somebody food like that and charge them money for it.'
Avoiding Delivery Apps
Khaja does not use third-party delivery apps, relying instead on phone orders and their own deliveries. Jubed said: 'The delivery apps charge a large fee and they charge the customer as well. It's already difficult running a small business because of how much the gas, electricity and stock prices have gone up and we never want to cut back on our quality so we don't use them.' Customers travel from Runcorn, Widnes, and Rainhill to enjoy the food.
Value and Faith
Located at 41 Allerton Road, the takeaway prioritises giving customers full value for their money. Jubed said: 'I value my faith and my faith tells me that anything you sell you have to make sure the customer gets their exact value for money. With the way I've been brought up I couldn't sleep at night if I deceived someone and took their money off them.' He recalled a recent customer who requested a specific lentil, lamb, and potato dish: 'I could tell what he was after so I made him the dish the way he wanted it and he came back to tell me that he licked the plate clean. You work hard so when a customer gives you feedback like that it gives you encouragement to work even harder.'
