Sutton eatery closed after a brawl is set to reopen

Jumma Khan, owner of Grillos, at New Cross, is planning to relaunch another fast food outlet – but is keen to stress the former tenants are ‘no longer connected to the business’.

The eatery, formerly known as Sutton Spice, and the flat above, were officially closed for three months last August, after Nottinghamshire Police and Ashfield Council took action.

It followed numerous complaints over criminality and anti-social behaviour.

The restaurant was also the scene of a raging brawl in July 2021, when 10 arrests were made.

Mr Khan, a 38-year-old, father-of-three, said he and his wife hoped to rebuild the restaurant’s reputation, with a new start planned in the coming months.

He said “The former tenants are no longer in Sutton. It won’t be the same people running the takeaway.

“The shop is still closed, but we plan to run it ourselves selling fast food, until we can find a good tenant. We just want our reputation back. We were left with the bills, the gas and electric, everything was a mess.

“We are known for running our own business before, we’ve always worked hard. We try to help people, do good things. We realise what happened here doesn’t look good for us, but it’s what the tenants did, not us. We want to make a new start.”

Coun David Hennigan, council member for Sutton Central and New Cross, has welcomed the reopening.

He said: “I’ve been in discussions with Mr Khan. He wants to reopen but at the moment, they are sorting stuff out related to the shop, things like unpaid business rates and utility bills left by the previous tenants.

“During the closure, no further anti-social behaviour or criminality were reported relating to these premises.

“The owners were badly, badly let down by the previous tenants. Having worked with Mr Khan before, I’m confident his new business will run properly and without incident.

“He and his family are as much a victim as the retailers and residents who were so severely impacted by the behaviour of the previous tenants.”