Luton Turkish restaurant named finalist in national kebab awards
A Luton Turkish restaurant has been named a finalist in a national awards competition.
SAVCI Turkish Mediterranean Restaurant is competing for Best Kebab Restaurant in the South of England at the 15th British Kebab Awards. The restaurant is the only business from Luton to reach the final in its category, which features 14 restaurants.
This year's finalists were selected from a record semi-final field of almost 500 businesses, following more than 6,000 nominations and over 40,000 public votes.
The selection process combined public votes with assessments by an independent panel of judges, including consideration of food hygiene standards.
SAVCI's nomination has received backing from Luton South and South Bedfordshire MP Sarah Owen and Cllr Zanib Raja and has also received support from local content creators, customers and Luton country singer Olivia Lynn.
The awards celebrate restaurants, takeaways and the people behind the UK's kebab industry, which is estimated to contribute more than £2.8bn a year to the national economy and support around 200,000 jobs.
Ibrahim Doğuş, founder of the British Kebab Awards, said: “Congratulations to all 283 finalists. Reaching the final is a significant achievement, and this year's finalists reflect the talent and hard work of the whole industry — from independent family businesses to larger restaurant groups.
“More than 6,000 nominations and over 40,000 votes show how strongly people support these businesses.”
Public voting remains open until January 31, 2027, before an independent judging panel reconvenes in the first week of February to decide the winners.
The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London on February 23, 2027, attended by around 1,200 guests.
Customers can vote for SAVCI through the British Kebab Awards website here before the January 31 deadline.