The Athenian gyros restaurant wins best takeaway of the year in Deliveroo awards

A popular Greek gyros restaurant in Leeds has bagged a 'best takeaway of the year' award.
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The Athenian, which operates as a delivery only restaurant in Leeds, was named as the 2020 winner Restaurant of the Year winner at the Deliveroo Awards.

Presenter Maya Jama announced the win during Deliveroo's virtual awards ceremony, which was held on Twitter on Monday, December 7.

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The London-based restaurant owners responded to the tweet expressing their excitement, saying: "WE DID IT!!! Deliveroo Restaurant of the Year!!! Thank you everyone!"

It was the second win for The Athenian, as the business also bagged the best 'Editions' award earlier in the night.

The Athenian, which has restaurants across the capital and in Bristol, launched in Leeds in July.

The simple delivery menu will feature mouth-watering Souvlaki and Gyros, as well as modern twists on specialities such as feta and courgette fritters and halloumi fries.

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The Athenian’s Souvlaki is made with soft, handmade pita wrapped around lightly chargrilled meat or cheese which has been marinated in olive oil, lemon and Greek herbs, all served with an array of salads and sauces.

The Athenian restaurant won the best takeaway award.The Athenian restaurant won the best takeaway award.
The Athenian restaurant won the best takeaway award.

Two other restaurants which deliver in Leeds also claimed awards.

Kaspa's Desserts, based in The Core Shopping Centre in the Headrow, won the dessert-only category.

The restaurant is popular for those looking for a sweet treat as it sells sundaes, waffles and crepes as well as hot drinks and milkshakes.

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Manchester-based Archie's, which has only recently opened in Trinity Kitchen, in Trinity Leeds, bagged two awards.

Archie's won the best cheap eats and the best halal categories.

What is a Deliveroo Editions 'dark kitchen' and where is it Leeds?

An 'Editions' restaurant is part of the 'dark kitchens' set up by Deliveroo.

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These 'dark kitchens' are big commercial units which which are leased to restaurant brands for use as delivery-only kitchens

The Leeds site is the Scott Hall Mills industrial complex on the edge of Chapeltown.

It is one of the delivery company’s smaller Editions premises, with capacity for six occupiers.

Deliveroo says its Editions sites help both smaller local restaurants and high street chains to reach new customers and boost their revenues.

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Many, like those in Leeds, also make use of the sites to create ‘virtual brands’, using their kitchen, equipment and stock to create another menu or cuisine under a different brand name.

“Editions are purpose-built delivery only kitchens, allowing restaurants to set up shop without having to open a premise on the high street,” says Robert. “Restaurants who operate out of these kitchens don’t have the usual capital costs of setting up a bricks and mortar site, which can run into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

Some restaurants use Editions as a platform to establish a customer base in a new area before launching a dine-in premises.

"It is why Robert maintains that the sites are not a threat to the traditional restaurants and takeaways much-loved on British high streets, rather, he says, they are offering diners more choice and allowing existing businesses to expand their home delivery offer or move into new areas.

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“Restaurants certainly are seeing delivery as a way of growing their business,” he says.

“It is a way of essentially meaning that on more occasions, people are putting money through their tills.

"I think delivery has a very important role to play in what restaurants are doing and how they are growing and expanding and how also, maybe, their businesses are surviving at a time when economically there are challenges, whether that be the cost of food, the ability to recruit staff or just the competitive environment they are in.”

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