Seven Sisters restaurant saved from closure

A Tottenham-based restaurant has been saved from closure following a successful social media campaign. 

Chukus Nigerian tapas restaurant launched a ‘Six Week Charge’ on 30th October, with a goal of hitting 600 bookings by 11th December. Happily, the restaurant hit its target within days of launching the campaign. 

The campaign’s launch video went viral, gaining more than 125,000 views and counting on Twitter, with retweets from high-profile figures including supermodel Jourdan Dunn and England rugby star Maro Itoje.

The sibling duo behind Chukus, Ifeyinwa and Emeka Frederick, said they were “deeply moved” by the support. Ifeyinwa added: “From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has booked a table, shouted about us on Twitter, shared our video on WhatsApp, flooded our DMs, or dropped into the restaurant to wish us luck.

“Things definitely don’t stop here – we want to keep sharing our take on Nigerian cuisine and culture with you.”

Located in Seven Sisters, the restaurant opened in 2020, just five weeks before the first lockdown was announced. The multiple lockdowns that followed, paired with staff shortages, left the restaurant struggling to survive.  

Thanks to the Six Week Charge, Chuku’s will continue to stay open during the festive season and into the new year.

Emeka said: “Community support is the lifeblood of independent businesses, and they need that support more than ever.

“So please, keep supporting and making noise about the local businesses you love to keep them at the heart of our communities.”