The owner of a newly opened Turkish restaurant specialising in authentic, traditional cuisine has called on the council to do more to bring shoppers back into the town centre.

Mustafa Dayan, of Turkish Tulip Café at 41 Havelock Street, opened his café on July 23 and since then he has been welcoming customers to try home-cooked dishes including Turkish breakfast, omelettes and pastries.

But Mustafa, who is well-known as a parish councillor for West Swindon and the owner of Diamond Kebab takeaway, says despite liking the area, some days can be good but others can be very quiet.

He explained: “People order things digitally now to their doors rather than going out shopping, which is hard on business traders and makes it hard to pay their rent or business rates. Parking is another issue and they probably don’t want to pay to park their cars because it’s a bit expensive.

Read More: Well-known takeaway owner launches new town centre cafe

“The local authority should give everyone who wants to come into town to do shopping some free parking, especially before Christmas. Then they will have something to eat or something to drink and come to my business or other businesses to support traders.

“The local authority should bring local people to the town centre, but it is hard to bring people into town. We’ve been open over three months and a few people have come in and said they saw the advertisement on social media, so that has been good.

“Our customers come in and give us really good feedback on the quality and taste of the food, the authenticity, atmosphere and decorations, so it has been really good and we’re happy overall. We like the area and we haven’t had any issues so far.”

(Image: Mustafa Dayan)

Ahead of the opening earlier this year, Mustafa told the Advertiser he was "nervous" but "excited" to unveil the café after he had worked on the concept with his wife and had spent several months renovating the building.

He said: “It’s a fruitful area and there’s nothing like this in Swindon. We need a café like this one because it’s good for the community."

Read More: Swindon café wins prestigious award for third year in a row

Prior to the Tulip Café taking over the space, the building was empty since late 2023 when JJS Hair Group relocated to Crombey Street.

The name Tulip Café is in keeping with the authenticity and celebration of culture, as it is named after the national flower of Turkey and Turkish tea is typically served in small glasses shaped like tulips as a sign of hospitality.

Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of the Council, said: “We’ve been working closely with local businesses and groups to find out how the town centre can be improved.

“As a result of this, we revealed last month the draft vision for the Heart of Swindon which contains eight ambitions for making the area a more vibrant destination. This can’t be done alone and it will require the combined effort of the private, public and voluntary sectors.

“Those interested can have their say on the draft vision for the ‘Heart of Swindon’ by visiting our website and emailing us before 22 December.

“Alongside this, we’re also collaborating with businesses and organisations on a calendar of events to drive footfall. This includes the town centre Christmas lights switch-on, taking place on Saturday, which returns to the area for the first time since the pandemic.

“We’ve also introduced a new town centre Christmas Market, organised by LSD Promotions and funded by the Council.

“We’re also working with the Police and Community Safety Partnership to make the town centre feel safer and more welcoming to visitors.”

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