Not everyone likes the smell of kebabs being grilled live on coals.
But if you happen to be a fan of the kebabs, you can enjoy the aroma along with the dish after a hectic day on this bus in Edmonton – except that this bus won’t take you home.
Watch the video below to learn more about this story.
[rumble video_id=v683sl domain_id=u7nb2]
Video credit: Rumble
This kebab bus is created by Firat Amara, who undertook the project of converting a London double-decker bus to a mobile kebab restaurant in late 2019.
The bus is now about to be commissioned.
Named Last Stop Kebab, this facility has a capacity of seating 40 guests at a time and the onboard upholstery is authentic Transport for London design.
Firat, who came up with the idea in December 2019, acquired an actual Transport for London double decker bus within 20 days.
After that, it took him and two of his colleagues about two months to outfit the bus.
They removed the engine, some of the seats and the rear wheels to make room for seats, counters and the most important part: a kebab machine.
Firat got the electricity, gas and water connections required for the facility from the supermarket adjacent to the plot he has set up the restaurant in.
Forty-one-year-old Firat is rather reluctant to reveal the actual cost he paid for the bus.
He said: “That’s a secret,” adding after a chuckle, “It cost me a lot of money but I don’t want to say how much I spent on it.”
“I thought, everything is running on social media. If I get a double decker bus then people will share it on Instagram, be interested to come and will use it as an advert.”
The bus restaurant has just opened and people appear to be impressed a lot by the idea.
So far, videos of the bus have racked up above 450,000 likes on Instagram alone and people are flying in from London to have the unique experience of eating a kebab on a double decker.
Firat said: “That’s what we wanted and that’s what we want and deserve.
“All day we’ve been busy and haven’t been stopped, I hope that carries on. We are so happy because we did something and people are giving good appreciation.”
The bus has seats for customers, a fully equipped kitchen for fresh food, and a lot of stock features including the original Tannoy music system that is now used to play Turkish music.
What it lacks, like all London busses, is an onboard toilet.
Firat selected this area of Edmonton because there is no proper eatery within a 20-minute walk distance, and a lot of residents, visitors, and the employees of Middlesex Hospital can’t get something good to eat.
With an experience of 25 years in the field of kebabs, Firat wanted to do something out of the box – and as it appears, he did.
Firat said: “I was always going to do it because at the end of the day what you put in is what you get back.
“You get the fruits from the tree, now it’s the sweet time and we are enjoying the customers. I love risk because when you do business, it’s a risky job, if you put in risk you get the money.
“So far, it’s working very well, I’m so happy and they make me so excited each time.”
The kebab bus offers a range of different kebabs, salads, and wraps. The business has been such a huge success that Firat is planning to buy more buses and open outlets in central London and Stratford area.
Replaced!