New menu for benefit claimants proves surprise hit for Lebanese restaurant
South London businessman says he wants to give people on low incomes the right to go out to eat with their families
A restaurant owner who launched a deal to give people on universal credit and low incomes “the right to go out to a restaurant” for a fiver says it is now responsible for 99% of his trade.
Ali Alsahlane opened Lebanese restaurant Shawarma Hut in south London in 2020 and faced losses of more than £300,000 as the pandemic surged. Initially, he simply wanted to bring homemade, authentic Lebanese food to the area at relatively affordable prices. But he soon realised that rising inflation and soaring bills were pushing many of his neighbours in Southwark out of London’s dining culture.
Alsahlane launched two community meal deals in August this year after friends and neighbours told him that prioritising rent, household bills and other necessities often meant there was nothing left for dining out or recreational activities.
“This pushes families with limited income or on universal credit home,” he said. “It makes me sad that parents can’t take their children out any more in London.”
Government data shows that universal credit claims in Southwark rose by more than 2,000 this year, up from 36,191 households in January to 39,011 in August. This reflects a national rise in demand that recently saw the total number of people claiming universal credit in 2025 increase by 1.1 million people in a year.
Alsahlane’s meal deals have since taken over the restaurant’s business model. “Ninety-nine percent of people are coming for it now,” he said. “We’re getting families from Croydon, Hackney, Essex, even Heathrow. People are coming from two hours away.” Asked whether travel costs might offset any savings made, Alsahlane said the value still outweighed the expense for many families.
The restaurant offers two meal deal options: a £4.99 lunch meal deal, available until 5pm, which includes a large chicken shawarma wrap, chips, salad and a soft drink, and a £5.99 evening deal, served until 11pm, consisting of a quarter boneless grilled chicken with shawarma, salad, peri fries or rice, sauces and full table service.
“There’s nothing cheaper than that of this quality with really big portions,” Alsahlane said. Hyphen reviewed prices for sit-down table-service restaurants on Walworth Road, where Shawarma Hut is based, and could find no cheaper equivalent.
He added that the low prices are permanent, not promotional. “This is done for the people. It’s not for the rich — we don’t want them here. We want people who’ve lost the ability to go out to a restaurant. We want them to eat better than the rich.”
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Alsahlane admitted that margins were tight but said that was the point. “If I can eat, have a roof over my head, transport and be healthy, that’s enough for me,” he said. “It’s a gift from God that I’m able to help the community.”
Southwark Council’s business chief, Councillor John Batteson, welcomed the initiative. “Offering affordable meals and creating opportunities for residents to enjoy dining out at a lower cost are excellent examples of the community partnership we value in Southwark,” he said.
Alsahlane’s approach contrasts with that of many restaurants around London that have been struggling to survive amid increasing rent prices, produce costs, wages and energy bills. In October this year, Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 of its restaurants.
Earlier this year, the government announced that two state-subsidised restaurants would open in Dundee and Nottingham in summer 2026 as part of its plan to reduce food poverty in the UK. It says the restaurants would “provide universal access to nutritious and sustainably produced foods in social settings” and “meet the needs of deprived households with children”.
Alsahlane said part of the initiative’s aim is to challenge perceptions about people on universal credit and low incomes. “You see people online, they say if you have no money or you have limited income, just stay at home and cook, or don’t eat much. I’m against those people. I fully disagree. People should be able to go out to a restaurant,” he said.
