'We wanted to showcase something unique': The Headingley café serving fry-ups and South Indian food

When manager and sole chef Sandhiya Prasad put it all on the line by adding a second menu to an already established breakfast cafe, things quickly turned on their head - for the better.

Munch Cafe has been a mainstay in student-heavy Headingley for more than a decade, making a name for itself as one of the suburb's go-to spots for hangover fry-ups.

But the bold move - switching from a traditional English breakfast cafe in the morning to a fully vegetarian South Indian menu in the afternoon - quickly attracted a whole new clientele.

"This cafe was actually an English cafe, only serving English breakfast in the morning," partner Ram Selvarathinam told the YEP. "So once we took over, we started serving South Indian breakfast in the evenings.

"I don't think any other cafe actually does two different menus in the same place, and that is a very unique thing that we wanted to showcase to students in this area and others as well."

Back in their native Chennai, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the pair ran a women-only student accommodation, providing residents with breakfast before their often long journeys to university and dinner when they returned home.

"We used to serve them breakfast in the morning and dinner, so once we moved here, we thought, 'Why don't we do something like this?'" Ram said. "We felt Headingley is lively, right? A lot of students, and this is the best place."

Much of the menu is drawn from the pair's home region - curries inspired by Sandhiya's big-city upbringing and chutneys from Ram's more rural hometown - and it has become a favourite among locals.

The pair say its newfound popularity has helped keep the cafe afloat, as nearby offices have remained empty since the pandemic and many students opt for a meal deal from Sainsbury's just across the road instead of a Full English.

"When, as an independent cafe, you look from here through your window and so many buy a meal deal from Sainsbury's, it is very demotivating for you," Sandhiya explained.

Despite challenges including rising inflation and competition from big chains, their personalised service - and authentic South Indian filter coffee, Sandhiya adds - have earned glowing reviews.

"When you look at our Google reviews, most of them are for the evening South Indian breakfast," Ram said proudly. "The evening business is actually kind of supporting us financially to run the morning business."

Like many cafe operators we've spoken to this week as part of the YEP's Leeds Summer Served campaign, Sandhiya and Ram see their cafe as a lifeline.

"Independent cafes are the ones that can actually have very close connections with their customers," they explained.

"Older customers feel this is like a second home. They come here for a chat. They have a coffee and sit here for one or two hours talking about their family. In independent cafes, we have the time to talk to the customer."