A Trinidadian entrepreneur is hoping his new business will attract people back to St George’s Walk.
Trevor Bobb has moved his Rotimaster business into the maligned shopping precinct, and believes it can once again be a shopping hotspot.
St George’s Walk has been blighted by the failed regeneration project of Minerva, with whom the council withdrew partnership earlier this year.
But Mr Bobb thinks it is a great location and is delighted to be there.
He said: “It’s all about location, location, location and I saw a niche in the market.”
Mr Bobb, who worked in IT before moving into the catering business, said Croydon needed a new cuisine and felt Roti was the answer.
He added: “The community is used to Jamaican food, we wanted to bring something different.”
Rotis are an east Indian dish with a Trinidadian twist.
It is similar to a naan bread or chappati but is wrapped around curried meat, fish or vegetables.
Mr Bobb explained the cultural makeup of Trinidad meant the flavour was very unique.
The takeaway has seen steadily increasing business as word of mouth spreads, and its location in St George’s Walk means it gets a good trade from council and UK Border Agency employees.
It has even had celebrity endorsement, with Reggae Reggae sauce creator Levi Roots praising the homemade tamarind sauce in Rotimaster.
He praised the work of Croydon Enterprise helping him start up his business.
The 53-year-old said: “Their advice and support was good and they have promised to help with funding for marketing to.”
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