A Lebanese restaurant in south east London is set to be the first restaurant in London committed to feeding the homeless every day of the year.
Sharwarma Hut, in Elephant and Castle, introduced the initiative earlier this month and is now serving upwards of 50 homeless people a day.
Owner Ali Alshalane started the scheme after his initial success of their ‘community menu’ – which offers affordable meals to low-income families.
“Anyone who’s struggling, anyone who’s homeless, this is your place,” he said.
“We want people who’ve lost the ability to go out to a restaurant. We want them to eat better than the rich.”
Homeless people are offered food “no questions asked”.
Ali has already seen the impact this had, recounting the moment a homeless veteran came in.
“He had tears in his eyes and hugged me straight away,” he said.
“He told me ‘nobody had ever thought about us’.”
Having owned the business since 2019, Ali faced significant losses during the Covid pandemic and saw the impact on his community while volunteering at a local food bank.
Since then, he has introduced a ‘community menu’ with a lunch meal, priced at £4.99 and a dinner meal at £5.99 that consists of a quarter boneless chicken served with salad, fries or rice.
The portions are generous, with the deal offering an extra 20% discount for those on universal credit, students, armed forces members and NHS staff.
Originally from Iraq, Ali recalls being young and the experience of trying new food with his parents and ‘bonding with the family’, something that he believes is becoming a luxury as Londoners are priced out of.
He reassures residents that this is an experience to: “Eat out with service, no hidden charges”, adding that the business had “already been tested by thousands of people”.
Government data shows Universal Credit claims in the borough of Southwark have risen to 40,000 as of December 2025 – reflecting a national rise of 1.1million per year.
Despite margins being tight, Ali believes as an entrepreneur, it’s about solving a problem.
He said: “Once you want to solve a problem in a community, then you need to take that risk.”
The reception had been positive, with food influencers like ‘EatWithTodd’ visiting and many within the community donating to this cause.
Last week, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Lebanese restaurant opening in London, the restaurant advertised ‘5p chicken shawarma’ – where Walworth Road witnessed unprecedented numbers of Londoners coming out.
Ali intends to continue offering meals to the homeless seven days a week, and the ‘community menu’ will remain permanent.
Featured image credit: Ali Alshalane
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