Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers chair hopes to launch Asian Catering Federation

The Asian Catering Federation will be co-chaired by Khan and the chairs of the Chinese Takeaway Association and Malaysian Restaurant Association.

Speaking to BigHospitality at the launch this week of five new Asian and Oriental Centres of Excellence​, attended by John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, Khan said he had already begun the process of setting the organisation up and hoped it would be launched in the coming months.

It is designed to bring groups representing Asian restaurants together in order to increase the lobbying power when communicating with Government on issues such as the problems caused by the immigration cap on non-EEA workers.

More effective​

"It is already in the pipeline - we have already formed the company. We are inviting the other small catering organisations to come and join us to come under one platform - the Asian Catering Federation," he said.

"It is going to be launched in the next few months and it is going to achieve a lot. Then Government can talk to the one body. If we have four or five organisations working together under one platform and put our case together it will be more powerful and more effective," Khan added.

Centres of excellence​

The Hospitality Guild and People 1st initiative to create five centres of excellence to train mainly unemployed British nationals for a career in Asian and Oriental restaurants was welcomed by Khan who said he hoped more would follow.

However Khan echoed comments from others at the event who said the creation of the courses was not a short term fix to a very real problem the immigration cap was creating for the restaurateurs he represented.

"The people we are training are not going to get ready overnight by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow - it will take quite a few years. What we are doing is a very good start. What we are trying to tell the Government is until we get home-grown staff ready, keep some of the flow coming but under strict control," he said.