Examentrainers

Eat up or pay up

One London restaurant is cracking down on customers.
Emily Ashton finds out why

1		It is a guilt trip inflicted on most
		children who leave sprouts or
		cabbage on their plates. “Eat up,”
		their mothers chide, “think of those
		starving children in Africa who don’t
		have such luxuries.” A few grimacing
		mouthfuls later, the plate is empty.
		Adults will be reminded of their youth
		when they step into one Nigerian
		restaurant in east London and are
		faced with a £2.50 fine if they fail to				played on the wall-mounted television
		finish what they have taken for dinner.				screen. The restaurant’s name comes
		At the Obalende Suya Express				from Obalende, the popular area of
		restaurant in Dalston, the penalty for				Nigeria’s former capital, Lagos, which
		greed is donated straight to the local				is famed for its suya: spiced meat that
		Oxfam shop.				has been specially grilled on skewers.
2		The West African barbecue eatery		6		Although it is the take-out part of
		attracts a full house every Sunday with				the business, selling barbecued
		its Grill Greedy buffet, with trays and				sandwiches and suya dishes, that
		dishes overflowing with steaming				attracts the most diners on weekdays,
		meats and fried bananas. As customers				it is the dining area that draws in the
		fill their plates, however, they can				guests at weekends. “Our buffet
		hardly miss a big red sign warning				regulars love the pounded yam, the
		them to make sure they eat it all up.				jollof rice (steamed rice with tomatoes,
		Lara Odebunmi, who owns the				onion, pepper and spices) and the
		restaurant with her husband Toks,				barbecued chicken,” says manager
		says: “We realised a lot of people were				Kenny Amuzu. At £13.95, the
		wasting their food rather than				unlimited food deal is good value,
		finishing it, just because they could				notwithstanding the possible £2.50
		‘eat as much as they liked’. They kept				surcharge.
		on 23 but they were only ever able		7		The Suya Express isn’t the only
		to finish one plateful. At the end of the				restaurant with charitable inclinations.
		night, we felt really bad dumping all				Sandwich chain Pret A Manger also
		this food into the bin.”				offers its remaining produce to charity,
3		FareShare, a national organisation				supplying FareShare with around 18
		that redistributes surplus food from				tonnes of ‘quality surplus food’ last
		restaurants and shops to local				year.
		charities, believes that the food sector		8		Says Simon Hargraves, commercial
		accounts for more than a third of all				director for Pret: “We still end up
		the waste produced in Britain. More				throwing edible food away; we would
		than 12,000 people each day eat food				like more charities to come to us and
		that FareShare has 24 restaurant				pick up our excess food.”
		kitchens and shops’ chillers. But the		9		But it isn’t just a case of turning up
		majority of Britain’s tens of thousands				and claiming free food. Government
		of restaurants simply bin the food they				standards ensure no health and safety
		are unable to sell.				rules are breached. FareShare insists
4		The Odebunmis set up Suya				any food it collects must at least be
		Express 10 years ago and run another				within its use-by date and
		restaurant in Peckham. They hope the				appropriately packaged. “It’s certainly
		buffet fine, introduced last year, will				a lot more difficult to give food away
		make people think about how much				now as there are more safety rules to
		food is wasted. “Lots of people in				comply with – but for very good
		Africa don’t have the opportunity to				reasons,” says Hargraves.
		see this amount of food, let alone to		10		Every Sunday at the Obalende Suya
		buy it,” says Toks. “We came up with				Express, Lara Odebunmi is happy to
		the charge to make customers think				see people queuing for the Grill Greedy
		about poverty. If only people could see				buffet. The red sign doesn’t seem to
		how privileged we really are in				have put anyone off. “At first, those
		England,” adds Lara.				who hadn’t seen the notice were a bit
5		Squeezed between shops on the				negative but when they realised the
		Kingsland Road, the restaurant looks				money was going to charity, they were
		more like a tiny take-away than a				much more understanding,” she says.
		trend-setting eating establishment.				“The response has been overwhelming.
		Customers have to walk through the				Customers don’t waste food any more
		fast-food front to reach the softly lit				– they appreciate it!”
		dining room at the back, where		11		There is only one snag to the
		brightly coloured paintings adorn the				scheme: while the plates are being left
		walls and chefs work busily in the open				empty, so is the Oxfam fine pot.
		kitchen. African music drifts out
		quietly as muted football matches are