A council handed £300,000 of taxpayers’ money to a former rave DJ and his friends so they could open a chicken shop near 34 others, it was claimed today.
Ben Rymer, 45, opened Chicken Town in a former fire station in Tottenham, North London, two years ago and it was labelled Britain’s healthiest fried chicken shop.
But rival takeaways are furious about the help given to the shop by Haringey Council from a fund to help regenerate the area after the London riots in 2011.
DJ Ben Rymer, who opened Chicken Town in Tottenham, North London, with friends in 2015
The shop – which launched in in November 2015 – will only have to repay the Labour council’s loan when it makes £50,000 a year after tax, reported The Sun.
But other fast food businesses say it is closed too much to achieve this, with the shop only open five days a week and shut for lunch on three of those days.
Sinan Hudaverdi, who serves chicken at the nearby Cafe LA City, told Sun reporter Ben Lazarus: ‘I’ve been here 17 years and not had any help.’
Solaiman Hekmat, who owns nearby Chicks Chicken and Pizza, added: ‘I hope the council look into it – and whether the shop is doing what it should to pay it back.’
Mr Rymer, who played a DJ set at Bestival in Dorset last month on the same stage as Hot Chip, has previously had residencies at Weekend in Berlin and Space in Ibiza.
Chicken Town is known for its free-range chicken (pictured) which is steamed before being briefly fried in rapeseed oil. It has a fraction of the fat and salt found in other fried chicken.
But his profile on the Bestival website said he ‘lives in the Philippines where he spends most of his time surfing’ and is based on a canal boat when in London.
Mr Rymer made his name in the dance music scene with electroclash group Fat Truckers
Taxpayers’ Alliance chief executive John O’Connell told MailOnline: ‘Haringey hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory in recent years and residents will be furious at this latest, absurd waste of money.
‘What’s more, dishing out loans on extremely favourable terms to hipsters is grossly unfair on other restaurant owners in the area who have gone to the bank to get their businesses off the ground.’
Mr Rymer grew up in Sheffield in the Eighties and achieved a master’s degree at the University of Liverpool in information systems management, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He made his name in the dance music scene with the Sheffield-based electroclash group Fat Truckers before also playing with Gucci Soundsystem.
Chicken Town, which has been approached for comment, is a not-for-profit enterprise which also trains local young people as cooks and waiters.
There are 34 other chicken shops within a mile, but Chicken Town is known for its free-range chicken which is steamed before being briefly fried in rapeseed oil.
It is said to have a fraction of the fat and salt found in other fried chicken.
The shop, which was also funded by a Kickstarter campaign and has previously been praised by health campaigners, has been approached for comment.
A Haringey Council spokesman said: ‘We are committed to encouraging new businesses to set up in Haringey and to helping existing independent businesses expand and thrive in the borough.
‘Jointly funded by the GLA (Greater London Authority), our innovative Opportunity Investment Fund offers support to a diverse range of creative and start-up industrials keen to play their part in the growth of Tottenham’s economy.
‘The scheme has helped to bring a number of businesses and employment opportunities to the borough.’