The owner of The Mardini Cafe and Bistro on Kirkgate, said diners were flocking to Harrogate, instead of eating locally.
Abdulcelal Arik, who recently opened The Mardini Cafe and Bistro on Kirkgate, said diners in the town were flocking toMr Arik made the comments at a council hearing where he was applying for a licence to sell alcohol until 10pm.is like a dead place after 6pm. Down the street there is no people there. Why? Because there’s no action.
Abdulcelal Arik, the owner of a new restaurant in Otley, says the market town is"dead" in the evenings. Picture: Tony Johnson “The local people there go to Harrogate or far away. They don’t have to do that. They can come to my place.” Mr Arik said the fact he did not sell alcohol was putting diners off and that he had allowed them to bring their own alcohol as a temporary measure.He said: “Ninety per cent of customers ask me when they are coming in, ‘Are you selling alcohol?’“When you say ‘no’, believe me, they don’t want to come. On the phone when you say ‘no’, they don’t want to book.“If I don’t sell alcohol, I’ll have to reduce my staff because I won’t have enough customers.