Queensway café Normah's launches crowdfund to help secure its future

The restaurant, which is located inside London’s Queensway Market, is known for owner Normah Abd Hamid’s brilliant cooking and personable hospitality and has been operating in the capital since 2015.

It is currently listed as one of the best value restaurants in central London by Eater London​​.

Abd Hamid has launched a crowdfund for Normah’s, which has remained closed for the past four months because of the Coronavirus pandemic, because she says the restaurant’s location inside Queensway Market has meant her business has not been eligible for a Government grant.

She is looking to raise £8,800 on crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder, which she says she will use to help her restarts her business as well as allow her to introduce new measures for a post lockdown environment, including using biodegradable plates.

She also says she would like to be able to employ more staff to help people that are now looking for work as a result of the pandemic.

“Small businesses like us, we make a difference to a place like London,” says Abd Hamid. “We need to help one another so that we are able to survive.”

She has also called on more help for small and medium sized businesses in London and for the Government to work harder to gain public confidence in returning to the capital, describing its streets as empty.

“I’ve been walking around London and looking at all the empty streets. Queensway used to be vibrant, but you can’t tell if it’s day or night at the moment.

The majority [of restaurants] in London are small and medium businesses, and we are the sector that needs to be kept alive in order for London to survive.”

The restaurant is looking for donations as well as for people to pledge money that can be redeemed against food and drink on its reopening.

To make a donation visit Normah’s crowdfunding page here. ​​