Northern Irish eateries give back to their communities

The food to go industry provides tens of thousands of jobs across Northern Ireland whilst generating millions of pounds for the economy.

The first ever Northern Ireland Food to Go Awards take place in November to celebrate the best in the business.

The industry like many are having to navigate problems, such as the highest business rates in the UK.

Many of the outlets are used as community hubs, and play important roles within their local area, Patisserie G in Belfast runs a breakfast club for children to ensure they do not go to school hungry, some days they can have up to 27 kids.

The cafe also offers business mentorship to budding entrepreneurs aged from 7 to 16 and have also ran school bag and uniform exchanges.

In Lisburn Ciaran Kelly has been running pizza making classes for children at his outlet Pizza Crew.

They classes give children of all abilities to give cooking a go and build skills that can help them with future employment opportunities.

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