Social media food reviewer Danny Malin says opening a street food kitchen in Huddersfield was a “no brainer.”

The online sensation, who has thousands of followers for his Rate My Takeaway brand, has now stepped into the hospitality industry himself.

Danny is the frontman for the Rate My Takeaway Kitchen on the upstairs at the Packhorse Centre.

Danny, who hails from Barnsley and tests out takeaways around Yorkshire, said many people had questioned why he’d chosen Huddersfield for his first venture.

“It was a no brainer for me,” he said. “I love Huddersfield and I know it can work here. There was a derelict food court here and I spoke to Zahid Iqbal, who owns the Packhorse Centre, and told him about my crazy idea.

“He is totally behind it and we have made it happen.”

The Rate My Takeaway Kitchen launched to the public on Friday and is now open seven days a week, 11am-8pm.

 

 

The kitchen will have six permanent food outlets – all taste-tested and endorsed by Danny. These are: Pizza Pizza; Jay’s Desserts; Birria Boyz (Mexican street food); Bobby’s (salt and pepper); Hooyah (burgers) and Wing-a-Ding (chicken and burgers).

There’s also a bar and three pop-up outlets which will rotate every three months. The first two include Wagyu and Ai Tea (bubble tea). The pop-up outlets are already booked for the next 12 months.

“I have rated all these guys and it’s beautiful food and their work ethic is spot on,” said Danny. “But the main thing is the taste and flavours are completely different to anything else in the town centre.

“People have asked ‘why Huddersfield?’ but it’s because I love being the underdog. Next door we’ve got the Kingsgate Centre and they are massive so the Packhorse is the underdog. Bring it on!

“This has cost a lot of money but Zahid and the Packhorse team have faith in me and I have faith in them.

“I think this is going to roll because this is how people want to eat now.”

 

 

Danny has longer term plans to open a coffee shop and also create a rooftop terrace. He also wants the space to host events such as craft fairs.

Everyone loves to post their own food reviews on social media and a unique feature of the Rate My Takeaway Kitchen is a media room where people can record their own reviews. These are stored to the Cloud and Danny will edit them together and post them on his social media.

“You never know, we could find the next internet superstar,” he said.

Danny has also signed an exclusive deal with Just Eat and deliveries will be available from 11am to 9pm within around a two-mile radius.

“People might be negative about Huddersfield but I see the potential and know this is going to work,” he said.

“Every town is the same with complaints about the council and a lack of funding but this is a destination that will bring the footfall back. That will help the shops and independent businesses and maybe allow the council to invest some money.”