A Washington business - which boasts restaurant-quality food at a takeaway price - is enjoying its just desserts after following up four years of hard work with an expansion that is proving a huge success with customers.
Crave 4 Desserts in Washington, Sunderland, has been making its name with the likes of cheesecakes, brownies, waffles and traybakes after being set up by Imran Ahmed in 2018 and - despite the challenges of lockdown and now the cost of living crisis - the popular delivery and collection service is seeing the extra benefits of having added dine-in options plus a drive-thru which it says is the first in the North East.
And its customers are proving only too keen to make the drive to its Swan Road unit where they can pick up their sweet treats without leaving the car. For those who do, there are sit-in tables in the premises which Crave 4 Desserts moved into from a smaller unit nearby.
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"We originally set up in a smaller unit on the same industrial estate and had our business there for about three-and-a-half years," said Imran. "We wanted to expand and the opportunity came up during lockdown." The larger unit, acquired last November, meant there was space for a drive-thru - which opened earlier this year - and Imran adds: "It's a convenience for customers and it's been a bit of a novelty as you don't have any other dessert drive-thrus."
Having a parking area has also led to Crave 4 Desserts hosting pop-up events. These fun days have included visits from street food trailers such as Acropolis and Parm-o-Rama alongside added children's attractions including a free bouncy castle and Imran is keen for these to become regular events.
While the business is currently facing more challenges due to the rising costs of ingredients and petrol, he is pushing forward with plans for the future. Getting to test all those menu items - from 'old-school cakes', which are always popular, to cookie dough and cheesecake flavours - has to be a highlight of the job.
Imran takes cakes away to taste at home too, which serves to replicate the experience of customers who order deliveries, and he sees those quality checks as key. "And we're always looking at adding new products."
He is currently thinking of adding doughnuts to the menu. As the business reputation grows, he also works hard to build its social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Crave 4 Desserts, which was previously nominated for an independent Good Food Award, was also one of five finalists in the British Takeaway Awards last year. It's all proving a rewarding journey for Imran who, when he was growing up, would help out with younger brother Rezwan in his family's Indian takeaway which his parents ran for more than 20 years in the Concord area of Washington.
"They had it from 1978 to 2004 and it was one of only two or three Indian takeaways in Washington at the time," says Imran." In the same pioneering spirit, his switch to sweet treats has proved a first too.
"When we launched we were the original dessert shop in Washington," he adds. There are more now but Imran seems to have gone a step further with his drive-thru, the idea for which he came up while out delivering desserts one day.
He has three to four support staff helping to turn out Crave 4 Desserts' wide selection of popular treats - ranging from colourful 'tower cakes' to chocolate-dipped strawberries - which are made in-house.
The pandemic, and its restrictions upon business, hit the whole food industry hard but, compared with most food takeaways, his product is considered "a luxury item - which you can do without", he points out. So, his focus then had to be upon ensuring stability at such a difficult time.
But it seems that indulgent treats can be just the kind of comfort food that people need. No doubt if doughnuts are added to the menu, they will prove popular too.
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