Mumtaz in Leeds to dish out thousands of free curries this Friday

Mumtaz chefs are preparing to dish up thousands of chicken and vegetarian Biryanis between 6-9pm on Friday evening, ahead of the official re-opening of the restaurant on Chadwick Street, Leeds Dock this Saturday July 4.

Mumtaz has already enjoyed two successful giveaways for Key Workers and local residents enjoying a free takeaway during Lockdown. A shout-out this week on Mumtaz Leeds Facebook Page has already been shared thousands of times by city residents desperate to celebrate the lifting of social lockdown measures that have kept thousands of restaurants across the region closed since mid-March.

The post said: “As you all may know we did this free meal handout before and there was fantastic response, vibe and feedback. It’s been too long and we want to thank and reward everyone one more time before we officially open on Saturday 4th July.”

Food will be served in takeaway boxes in a one-way system queue straight in and then out of the restaurant - and Mumtaz is “ready, willing and ladled” to hand over thousands of meals on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mumtaz spokesman Rab Nawaz said: “We wanted to do something special for Leeds, it’s been a tough three months for everyone and we aren’t out of the woods yet, but it will be fantastic to open our doors again this weekend and welcome back customers. We all need to work together and we all need this.”

Mumtaz Leeds is one of the city’s largest eateries and it will be taking all social distancing measures necessary to ensure customers’ safety. But rather than have empty spaces and chairs they have taken the step of commissioning a whole host of celebrity cut-outs to sit on the empty seats and help to ensure the 1m distance rule is in place. Diners could be having a Tikka Masala next to Tiger Woods, or a Madras across from Michael Jackson. Dozens of famous faces will be strategically placed through the 300-cover restaurant.

Rab added: “We are lucky in that we have more space than a lot of restaurants but we still want to ensure there is a real buzz and atmosphere when people come back to Mumtaz Leeds, so the idea of celebrity cut-outs really appealed. It should be a real talking point and perfect for a quick selfie moment in between courses!”

Temporary opening hours for Mumtaz from Saturday July 4th onwards, will be Tuesday to Friday 5pm to 10pm, Saturday 4:00pm to 10:30pm and Sunday 4:00pm to 10:00pm. More details of the #WeMadeIt curry giveaway can be found at @MumtazLeedsOfficial Facebook page and @mumtazleeds Instagram page.