Kaani Kaana has been nominated for the best takeaway in Essex award in the 2025 Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards (ARTA).
The business was founded in 2022 when Sadiq Ahmed launched the brand in Chelmsford and won this same award in 2023.
In April this year, Sadiq opened his second branch in St Marys Lane, Upminster.
Sadiq Ahmed (Image: Kaani Kaana) He told the Recorder that he believes Kaani Kaana’s level of customer service is what sets it above competitors.
He said: “We want to provide an end-to-end customer service.
“Typically for a takeaway you place an order, go pick it up and leave again, but for us it’s a lot more than that.
“We really pay attention – when a customer walks in, we want to wow them so we offer them complimentary drinks like chai or mango lassi.
“I think for this reason we are changing the industry and we’re really competitive.”
In 2018 he returned to his father’s business and found that “nothing had changed”.
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He said: “I thought surely the industry couldn’t have stayed the same for all that long – but it had.
“So I began Kaani Kaana and my whole goal is to develop the industry and modernise it via technology and keeping with trends.
“We are not here to just be another takeaway, we’re here to change the industry.”
“It has been amazing – I couldn’t be prouder,” he said.
“There’s always the worry of how the community will respond to us but it was such an amazing start – better than expected.
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“People knew us before we could even open – people had heard of us from Chelmsford and when we were handing out leaflets, people were running towards us.
“I think people notice the passion that we put behind our brand.”
From over 150 online reviews, not one was registered below five stars.
The ARTA awards are held on October 6 when the regional winners of each category will be announced.
Sadiq revealed that the businesses must be nominated by customers and then judges decide on an overall winner by assessing a range of criteria including an undercover visit where food quality and customer service is analysed.
He said he is still proud of Kaani Kaana winning ARTA’s best takeaway in Essex award in 2023, but would be delighted if he could win again.
“When you win an award once you might question whether it was a fluke or whether you’re really the real deal, but to win it the second time you can say ‘we are the champions’ so it would be great to do that,” he added.
“Not just to me, but to the whole team, it would mean the world.”
