London kebab shop boss brands neighbours ‘racist’ for complaining about ‘chaos and violence’ outside takeaway

A TikTok-famous restaurant has said it is “not our place” to force customers to behave in such a way, as it battles neighbors over allegations of late-night anti-social behaviour.

Shortly after it opened in Camden, north London, a violent row broke out between neighbors and the Lebanese Grill Express as disruptions, including fights and loud music playing, broke out into the early hours of the morning.

Locals claim the kebab shop has made their lives a ‘misery’, with one describing it as a ‘centre of criminals’ and another likening the area to the ‘Wild West’.

They accused the restaurant of playing music until 1am “every day of the week” and claimed the takeaway service started as early as 5.30am, before smoke began billowing from the chimney a few hours later.

After it opened in 2021, a meeting was held between restaurant owners, residents, police and the local council to find ways to reduce disruption.

In another meeting held two years later, it was claimed that the kebab shop owner accused the police and the municipality of incompetence and the residents of racism.

Last November, the kebab shop’s license to operate late into the night was reviewed due to pollution, which later led to its cancellation.

Parish councilors said Lebanese Grill was a source of ‘significant public nuisance, disorder and environmental degradation’.

Picture: Remnants of takeaways bought by punters at Lebanese Grill are strewn on the ground nearby

These were said to include ‘aggressive behaviour, loud and abusive language, spitting, public fighting and intimidation by groups of individuals, many of whom traveled from outside the borough’.

Melanie Tew, president of the Bourne Estate Tenants and Residents Association, said in December the community had been ‘destroyed’ by the outage.

However, the decision has been appealed, meaning Lebanese Grill can operate until 1 a.m. until its objections are heard.

But the takeaway, which was recently given zero stars for food hygiene, said it was ‘not our job’ to police anti-social behavior when customers left the store.

Lebanese Grill manager Zack Khan denied being ‘responsible’ for customers’ littering or loud music being played into the early hours of the morning.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s not true that there was loud music. We start out as a business to keep the peace and respect our neighbors.

‘We tell our customers ‘turn off your music’ and ‘if you don’t we won’t serve you.’ We do our best to keep this place tidy.

‘It is not our duty to collect garbage, but we do it as a sign of goodwill so as not to upset our neighbors. No matter what we do, it’s not good enough.

Neighbors said antisocial behavior at the kebab shop late at night was causing them ‘misery’

Several bags and boxes from the kebab shop were dumped on the ground next to a nearby bin and children’s playground.

‘To be honest, people throw rubbish but we go out two or three times a night and pick it up. Not all of these come from Lebanese Grill, but many complaints are directed to us.’

Mr Khan blamed Camden Council for failing to provide enough bins for the area.

He said: ‘We asked the council to provide more bins but they said they didn’t have the funds to do it. ‘If the council provided bins, people would dispose of their rubbish properly.’

He also described his neighbors as ‘racists’, saying they ‘see harmless black children’ who ‘don’t cause problems’ but assume they are anti-social.

Mr Khan told the Mail: ‘We live in a multicultural country and in December there were people saying they couldn’t walk on the street [because they don’t feel safe].

‘But we think we are being targeted because we are a Lebanese grill man. ‘We feel that we are being victimized by these local people.’

One local resident previously said: ‘The fun starts around six o’clock; fights, vehicles playing loud music, urination, eating on top of cars.

‘Citizens cannot even send their children to Sainsbury’s. It is no longer safe for our children. It’s like the Wild West.’

The Food Standards Agency rated the kebab shop’s food hygiene as ‘zero’ out of five following an inspection in February

FSA admits ‘major improvements’ to hygienic food handling, cleaning and food safety management are ‘required’

Mr Khan said he was trying to extend the olive branch to residents but suggested they would not participate in peace talks.

He told the Mail: ‘We’ve said to our neighbours, ‘Let’s talk and sort it out’ but they’re not ready for it.’

In February, Lebanese Grill received a zero star hygiene rating after inspectors decided ‘major improvements’ to food handling, cleaning and food safety management at the facility were ‘required’.

Mr Khan said the kebab shop had previously been rated four stars but had ‘automatically lost three points’ on the day of the inspection because its food hygiene documentation was ‘inaccessible’.

He said: ‘We run a very good kitchen. When the inspection came, we did not have a food management system in our facility.

‘We were unable to produce this, it was not accessible at the time of inspection because it was locked in a different room and the manager did not have a key.

‘You automatically lose three points for that (not having it) and that was one of the main factors (in giving zero stars for hygiene).’

Mr Khan added: ‘If it was this bad we’d be shut down. ‘The locals have targeted us from every angle to shut us down and unfortunately we have a zero star rating but the re-inspection we have requested will put us back where we were.’

A local resident previously claimed Lebanese Grill customers were able to ‘come into our site and dine within blocks’ during cold or rainy weather. Picture: Takeaway bags and boxes scattered across one of Bourne Estate’s residential blocks

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police previously said: ‘Officers are aware of ongoing reports of anti-social behavior in and around the Lebanon Grill Express on Leather Lane, Farringdon.

‘Since these issues came to light, police have increased patrols in the area to tackle anti-social behavior and reassure the local community.

‘In December, the business underwent a licensing review, during which the Met made representations to the panel in support of revoking the premises’ late night licence.

‘Camden Council subsequently decided to revoke the business’s licence.

‘We know that this decision was later appealed and as a result the facility is still in operation.

‘We continue to work closely with our partners to explore all options to address concerns at the venue.’

A Camden Council spokesman previously said: ‘Due to ongoing noise and nuisance issues we removed Lebanon Grill Express’s late night license in November.

‘This decision has been appealed, which means the venue can continue trading until the appeal is decided by the court.

‘Our community safety team will continue to tackle anti-social behavior and reassure residents ahead of the appeal hearing scheduled for August.’

The Daily Mail has approached the Met Police and Camden Council for further comment.