Balti King Sheffield: Former Sheffield University student aims to raise £100,000 for restauranteur Tony Hussain

Austin Mccormick studied at Sheffield University in the 90s and was moved by reports Tony Hussain, who opened Balti King 33 years ago, could lose his home following the closure of his beloved restaurant.

Austin said: “I was at Sheffield Uni 1992-97 and the Balti King was a big part of my time there. He was a great character and always a kind and generous host despite our rowdy behaviour in the early hours.”

Tony worked tirelessly to continue to support the Sheffield community through the 33 year success of Balti King, sponsoring a host of student sports teams and donating money and meals to important causes.

In the JustGiving page Austin has set up for Tony, he writes: “Many of us benefited from his generosity of spirit and support of student societies. Now that he has fallen upon hard times I call upon all who loved the Balti King, and its charismatic owner, to donate to this page to help Tony.”

Incredibly, in the two days following the creation of the fundraiser, £330 has already been donated. Austin has been in contact with Tony and every single penny donated will go directly to Tony.

A number of donations have been accompanied by messages of support, thanks and well wishes for Tony.

One former customer said: “Thanks so much for so many curries on a Weds sports night when we really should have gone home. A university experience and institution. Thank you for being there.”

Speaking to The Star last month, Tony revealed Balti King has closed permanently due to a torrid three-year period including the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis. The iconic restaurant host revealed he has even re-mortgaged his house in an attempt to keep the restaurant afloat and is now facing eviction.

Last week, Tony was billed £322 after Sheffield City Council pursued a historic case, despite him hitting financial hardship, in which Tony served food standards officers a beef bhuna instead of a lamb bhuna. Tony maintained this was purely an accident, with beef kept in the restaurant as a preferred alternative for some of his customer base.

If you would like to donate to the JustGiving page set up for Tony by Austin, you can find it online.