New Wellingborough takeaway Grill Express set to open on Monday

A new food joint is set to open in Wellingborough on Monday, January 30, promising gourmet burgers, milkshakes, kebabs, desserts and more.

Grill Express will open its doors to the public next week on Swinburne Road in the Queensway estate.

It is a partnership venture between Maruf Ali and Zafar Ahammad, with the latter having been a chef for more than ten years, just now having the opportunity to open a new business.

The establishment will begin as a takeaway with collection orders only, but the plan is to implement in-house dining with a couple of tables for people wanting to stick around for a while. It was bought and renovated by the new owners, and its grand opening on January 30 will hope to kick off a long and prosperous journey for the pair.

Maruf Ali is also the founder of Le Spice Merchant, and spent much of the Covid-19 pandemic handing out free meals in Wellingborough. During Christmas 2021 the restaurant handed out dozens of free meals to those in need.

Maruf said: "I’ve been doing it since 2020, every December we give meals out to the people at Christmas.”

Grill Express will be primarily operated by Zafar Ahammad, as much of Maruf’s time is spent at Le Spice Merchant. They say Grill Express will carry the same selfless philosophy that Le Spice Merchant does, as Maruf added: “I told him [Zafar] it’s always good to help out your community.

"The people that are local, you should always help them out because one day you’re going to need them.”