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Liverpool Echo

National

Aaliyah Rugg

Restaurant owner bursts into tears after customer's offer

Heart Attack Echo

A restaurant owner said he burst into tears when a customer offered money to help when the venue faced closure.

Back in 2017, Yusuf Mutlu moved from London to Chester with his family before he decided to open his own restaurant in Wirral. Since then Yusuf said they have had a run of bad luck but he refuses to "give up" as Rokka has become a "popular gem".

Yusuf suffered a sudden heart attack in his restaurant after suffering from sharp pains and was "pale green and sweating". But he said he was determined to not let it hinder his successes. Then in 2020, just after the restaurant officially opened, the global pandemic hit, leaving the future "uncertain".

He told the ECHO: "When I had the heart attack I called an ambulance myself because it was very painful. Three weeks before I'd had pains near my chest and I knew something was wrong and I got heartburn. But when I got pain in my left arm I knew, and if I didn't call that day, I'd probably have died.

"We'd just moved house, bought a business, it wasn't great. And in 2020 we opened but covid hit and it was a crazy moment. I lost track of time, one moment we were open and then closed."

But the bad luck continued for Yusuf and his business, when a large group left the restaurant in 2021 without paying the bill, sparking an urgent appeal from staff. He added: "When I had a heart attack in the restaurant, it was suggested I take some time out but I was straight back in the kitchen.

"I am a natural hard worker and I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Then, when the large group left without paying the big bill, it set us back badly financially but the local community got behind us and we survived."

Praising Wirral, Liverpool and surrounding areas, Yusuf - who "loves the city and its friendly people" - said the community immediately jumped to support them, with financial offers coming in thick and fast. One woman even tried to donate over £100, causing him to "burst into tears".

Rokka is still going strong, with many "outstanding" reviews online and recently being voted in the top seven Wirral restaurants of 2022. Yusuf added: "People care about this place. We have good days and bad but we have great feedback all the time.

"People love our food and my customers are my guests, they aren't just a number. I care so much it causes me stress sometimes. Many businesses are closing down, some don't even survive one year but we will stay as long as we can and give our best service as a crew.

"Of course we are worried about the future. With things with the economy now, how will it affect us, we can't increase prices all the time. It's scary, but you have to fight."

The small team at the family run independent business have several offers during the week , including the famous Tomahawk Challenge. The attempt to eat a huge Tomahawk steak and two sides in two and a half hours has seen just five people so far complete it.

Manager Christina Walton told the ECHO: "Independent restaurants are slipping away and it's sad, but they care about the community. You aren't just a number and it's been a journey to see this place build up.

"There are so many good restaurants in Liverpool that you have to do something special to stand out and I think we do. We put love and passion into what we do and it's special.

"Looking back over the last year we are moving forward. We aren't going to let the bad things define us, we won't take it lying down. It's been a huge journey to go from empty seats to being so popular and we all thrive on the adrenaline. We are a little hidden gem and the only way is up. We've had our lows, it's now time to enjoy the highs."

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