First Doner & Gyros outlet opens on a forecourt

After winning the Best Forecourt Innovation accolade at the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2024 for its Fireaway Pizza outlet, Whitfield Service Station is the first forecourt to open a Doner & Gyros kebab and wrap franchise.

Owner K Rajaseelan (known as Seelan) says: “We were doing well with the pizza but both customers and delivery drivers were asking for kebabs too. We went to Norbury to see Doner & Gyros and knew it was right for us. It was important for us to see it for ourselves and to experience the quality and the taste.”

This is Doner & Gyros sixth site and director Diljit Brar describes it as an “express version” of the franchise. He says the soft opening at Whitfield had gone very well and sales were already good.

The new addition to the forecourt created six jobs for new staff.

Unlike many food-to-go offerings on forecourts, both Fireaway Pizza and Doner & Gyros are available late into the night – from 11am to 1am Sunday to Thursday and from 11am to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Seelan’s dedication to offering top quality food to go extends to him employing his own delivery drivers to ensure products, such as the freshly made-to-order pizzas, are handled properly and get to customers in one piece.

Officially opening the new Doner & Gyros, Dover councillor Kevin Mills praised Seelan for his investment in the Dover area and also his vision for the area, to make it a destination rather than just a place that people drive through.

Seelan bought the Whitfield site in 2011 after it had been closed down by Esso. Whitfield had always been a very busy service station, on the A2 just outside Dover, and Seelan saw the potential to re-open it, which he did after much investment in 2012.

More redevelopment took place last year with the Budgens store extended to 2,000sq ft and the addition of the Fireaway Pizza.

“The facilities we provide here are not just for the benefit of the many thousands of people who travel along the A2 as they enter or leave Dover, but also serve the community of Whitfield…this development is as much for those who live here as it is for those passing through.”

Now, Seelan has plans to turn the site into a motorway service station type facility.

There is already a very busy McDonald’s franchise adjacent to the forecourt, leased by another operator on land owned by Seelan.

He is keen to buy up extra land and build a new car park with EV charging facilities and a children’s play area. He also has plans to extend the services on the forecourt – extending upwards above the shop to house a nursery, dentist and private GP.

Seelan’s background is in accountancy. As well as the forecourt, he owns the Dover Marina Hotel and Spa, care homes and restaurants plus he also does a lot of charity work.

The hotel is linked to the forecourt via its pastry chef who provides fresh cakes which are on display at the front of the shop.