Popular restaurant thanks customers for sitting in darkness after power outage on Sheffield United matchday
A restaurant near Bramall Lane was left in Darkness after a power outage on matchday.
A popular Taiwanese restaurant in Sheffield which was left in the dark after a power outage has thanked customers who stayed and supported the establishment.
On Friday, October 30 a power cut left restaurants on New Era Square, near Bramall Lane, in darkness on a Sheffield United matchday - one of the busiest days of the month.
The Blades were entertaining Wrexham at Bramall Lane - a day that brings in many customers for the area’s food venues.
Yum Yum Bites was one of the places affected, and at around 11:00am on Friday (October 30) the power went out due to issues with a fuse, and didn’t come back on until Saturday morning.
Because there was no electricity, co-owner Amit Singlah, 42, made the decision to only serve drinks instead of their usual food offering.
He said: “We told our customers that we couldn’t serve food because there is no electricity, no power, but we can still serve drinks. We were very surprised because we weren’t expecting anybody to come and sit in the dark.
“Our people who normally come said no, we’d love to sit here, it doesn’t matter, we’ll still sit and still support you guys.”
Amit shared how this day would usually bring in many more customers as fans of Sheffield United dine there before attending the match.
That’s why he was so “frustrated” to begin with, but thanks to his loyal customers, the day turned out to be much more positive than what he expected.
He said: “Friday and Saturdays are the main days when you’re doing business, and on top, it was a football match. So as a business owner, I was angry, but seeing our customers, people’s kindness, it was a real eye-opener.
“They found happiness in that darkness, and some people even called it romantic, so it was really touching.”
Amit co-owns the restaurant alongside his wife, Regina Tseng, 36, who is originally from Taiwan and are both living in Rotherham.
They opened Yum Yum Bites in January 2021, where Regina has prepared and cooked all the dishes they serve ever since.
Amit shared how the restaurant has been built on “love, hard work and dedication” which is why the kindness customers showed them “meant so much”.
He added: “It reminded us that a restaurant isn’t just about the food we serve, but also about the people and community who make it so special.”