A university graduate is urging villagers to back his pizza and chicken shop venture and “give its food a try”.

Zam Haidari is the director at family-run Coxheath Pizza & Chicken which opened last Monday (May 12) in the former Angels funeral parlour in Heath Road.

The 25-year-old, who has worked in the takeaway industry since a teen, says the project began four months ago after realising the area was lacking a chicken restaurant.

He told KentOnline: “It’s a family-run business, I started at the age of 16 working in loads of fast-food takeaway restaurants and this is the fourth one we are opening – so we are quite experienced.

“When we looked at Coxheath, there were no chicken spots nearby. We asked the general public if we were to bring in another restaurant, what would they prefer? And, they said there’s not a chicken shop nearby, so we decided to go ahead.

“It’s something that Coxheath was missing and hopefully it’s a go-to spot in the near future.”

To get it ready Zam says there’s been months of work, with many skips filled and hours spent bringing in new equipment.

And since the launch, the graduate in chemical engineering, with a master’s in business analytics, says it’s been “amazing” to see so many from the community swing by.

He said: “I had no hope of it being as popular or as viral as it was online. That just shows how much people wanted a chicken shop to come to Coxheath.”

The only child, from Tovil, grew up in the takeaway industry and has experience working in the cleaning, delivery and cooking stages of this industry.

“Food wise we’ve been getting amazing responses. If the food is right, then the customers are happy – so that’s what we’re looking forward to bringing to Coxheath.”

Despite this, the shop has also come under fire from some for using halal-certified meat, but Zam says he prefers to be open and honest with his customers about his supplier.

That’s what it’s about in a village, where we help each other out and try each other’s food

He added: “We are always 100% committed to ensuring the processes are government-approved. All of our suppliers are certified.

“We are looking forward to working with the people of Coxheath to help resolve the issues that they might have.”

Halal slaughter is intended to be a humane, ethical and hygienic method of killing animals for human consumption but the practice has come under fire from some animal welfare groups.

The UK government doesn't have a legal requirement to ensure all animals are stunned before slaughter but according to the RSPCA, around 88% of animals slaughtered in the UK for Halal are stunned first.

In addition, the Coxheath chicken shop faced some criticism online after it decided to remove the accessible ramp and replace it with steps and an outdoor seating area.

In response, Zam says he has listened to the feedback and explained how it was “not an easy decision” to remove it.

He said: “We went back and forth on it several times. The main point was for us is during icy conditions, when it rains and if it gets cold it will be very icy.

“The previous owner gave us insights that there are some serious slips and serious injuries, for that reason we decided to go with steps with handles.

“Moving forward we are going to be considering how we can aid those who can’t use the stairs. It is something that we take seriously and our shop is all about inclusivity regardless of background or capabilities. We welcome all customers.”

In the future, Zam has plans to introduce a delivery services, but this has been halted by the closure of the A229 Loose Road in Maidstone due to emergency gas works since April 18.

He said: “If I was able to start doing deliveries now your food would be there in about three hours. And we don’t want that, we want to start on a good foot. As soon as the road opens, we will look into delivering.”

But despite a few hurdles, news of the opening has generally prompted a positive reaction, with many locals eager to try the fast-food outlet.

Addressing residents yet to pay a visit, the 25-year-old said: “We have top chefs and top-quality food, any issues let me know, but please come in and give us a try.

“That’s what it’s about in a village, where we help each other out and try each other’s food.

“And growing up in a village setting, I know what it’s like to be in a community and support each other. So I ask for their support right now.”

The chicken shop is open from Sunday to Thursday from 11.30am-10pm. From Friday to Saturday it is open from 11.30am to 11pm.

He has also urged customers with allergies and intolerances to let the staff know, and is looking into providing a gluten-free menu.

Zam started out in Sealife Fish and Chips in Sandling Road, but the family continue to run other businesses, including Larkfield Pizza and Kebab, Kingswood Pizza and Kebab and Cuxton Pizza and Kebab.