Sqew Leeds: Meet the man behind the award-winning kebab shop on Duncan Street that's taken the city by storm

Sqew, located on Duncan Street, had been in the making for nine years. Founder and owner Mitchell Renshaw, who is better known as Mitch, was inspired by a Turkish restaurant in London called E. Mono, where he used to eat at regularly when visiting family. 

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Mitch said: "I just thought, ‘why do we not eat food like this up north?’ I started getting interested in it and then one day I just thought I'll do it myself - and I meant it.

“On January 1, 2015, I wrote a business plan on my dad's computer. I came downstairs and announced to my friends, ‘I'm going to open a chain of kebab shops’. And we're at the start of it now.”

The venue, which is next to Leeds-favourite Mommy Thai, officially opened to the public in November 2021 and serves shawarma, falafel and halloumi dishes.

And just three years later, Sqew has won a national award. It was crowned the Best Lebanese Restaurant or Takeaway in the UK at the British Kebab Awards 2024.

Mitch attended the glitzy ceremony celebrating the best in the kebab industry with business partner Craig Bell and owners Sammy Clinton and Jake Catterall. The group also hit up E. Mono where the journey all began. 

The 36-year-old, of Otley, said: “It feels fantastic. It feels like recognition. It's confirmation that we're doing the right things.

"And then beyond that it's bragging rights and all the rest of it. It was a really emotional moment for us. We'd all given it so much. It was great to spend the time with them and actualise something that we'd envisioned for so long.” 

Back in 2015, when Mitch decided he would bring "truly authentic shawarma" to the north, he was a plumbing and heating engineer by trade. 

Leaving that world behind was not easy. He said: "It never felt like it was my calling. It was something I fell into after school. I didn't mind it, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. I wasn't passionate about water and pipes.

"It's a big jump to take from plumping to hospitality when you've got no money and no experience".

Mitch spent the next seven years putting himself out there, getting to know the industry and the people in it. And the official launch was far from ideal, with equipment arrival delays and last minute fixes.

Mitch said: "We had finished at three in the morning the night before, we got back at seven the next day. It was a mad panic and dash.

"It was hot and sweaty in the kitchen and we were ill-prepared and I under-trained everybody. I didn't really know what I was doing. It was terrifying and fun at the same time.”

Despite the difficult launch, the response from Leeds residents has been "phenomenal", Mitch said.

He added: "The response is one thing that kept us going when it was really tough, because we've got so many Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian customers, we've got people from Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai and all over the UAE and Middle East region, and they just keep coming in and saying how authentic it is. 

“That’s a big boost for us and we know that we're on the right path. You can see the buzz around what we're doing. You can see from the queues out the door at lunchtime that we're getting it right and people really enjoy it. And I think they can sense that we're doing it for the right reasons, because we’re hugely passionate about the food - and that's quite unique.

"We also offer hospitality and hospitality is lost in a world of service. At the moment, you'll find most restaurants are in the service game where you choose an item, they'll deliver it to your table, you pay a bill and you leave. 

“But when you come to Sqew, we're going to be hospitable with you because that's the nature of the business, that's the nature of shawarma, and the nature in the Middle East in general.”

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with YEP’s free emails

Like all other independent businesses, Sqew has gone through a number of difficult periods, including the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis. Running the business before it reached profitability was another difficult time.

Mitch said: "It took 16 months of struggle to pay personal bills and other bills, with no salary. Reaching profitability whilst launching during Covid with limited funds was an amazing hurdle to overcome. 

“Recruitment in hospitality is really tough. We've been very fortunate we've got what I think is the best team in Leeds.

"Sammy and Jacob are hugely invested and now reached management positions in the business - they live and breathe it like I do. We've absolutely smashed it, it took two years but we've done it.”

Mitch hopes this Duncan Street venue will be the first of many, as he aims to continue bringing quality shawarma to northern cities including Manchester and Sheffield.