A new restaurant in Bradford is causing a stir not for its food, but for its name. ‘2nd Wife’, recently opened in the city’s bustling food scene, is drawing attention from passers-by, diners, and the wider community alike. While some have welcomed the name as cheeky and memorable, others are questioning whether it crosses a line in a time of increased awareness around gender equality and representation.
The restaurant’s name, 2nd Wife, is hard to ignore. It appears to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to polygamy, a practice permitted under Islamic law but under highly specific and rarely met conditions. According to Islamic teachings, a Muslim man may marry up to four wives at a time, but only if he is able to provide for and treat all wives equally, gains the consent of the previous wife or wives, and maintains justice and fairness among them. The practice is legally permissible in some countries, but in the UK, bigamy is a criminal offence.
In this case, the name seems to poke fun at a more familiar, domestic joke: the idea that if a husband doesn’t enjoy his wife’s cooking, he might find comfort in the food of a so-called “second wife.” It’s a line that’s often been played for laughs in desi households and media, but when used as branding, it has drawn mixed reactions.
We spoke to a range of locals to get their take. A young Muslim woman, Madeeha Haq, in Manningham, told us: “Honestly? The name feels a bit off. It kind of trivialises something that’s actually a really sensitive topic, especially for women.”
“It’s low-key problematic. Playing on marital hierarchies isn’t really funny to everyone.”
Not everyone saw a problem with it.
“I laughed when I saw it,” said a middle-aged South Asian taxi driver, Arshid said: “People are too sensitive. In our culture, a second wife isn’t haram, and the food is what matters.”
Another customer focused on the branding: “It’s memorable. You talk about it. Whether you agree or not, the marketing worked,” said another man outside the restaurant who didn’t want to share his name.
From Halifax, regular Bradford diner Sarah Mushtaq offered her view:
“To be honest, I don’t mind the name. I think it’s just a light-hearted joke. You like the food and keep going, so it becomes your second wife, like when you get on well with someone at work and you call them a work wife. It’s not a literal wife. It’s just a joke in my opinion. I think if you have trauma behind that topic, then it could be a trigger, but we can say that about anything. I just think we live in an era where everything is too offensive to people.”
Sidra, who didn’t wish to share her surname, expressed concern from a married woman’s perspective: “It’s bad because it’s making it like a joke between the men. For example, if a man says, ‘Second Wife is good,’ there will be a response saying, ‘Oh yeah, second wife is so good,’ just to piss off the woman. Men will make fun of their wives, that’s what I’m saying.”
Maleeha Maroof, who lives in BD1, said she didn’t like it either:
“It’s like normalising people having a second wife. I know it’s not serious, but I don’t like it.” She added, “From a business point of view, I get it gets infamous, it spreads through word of mouth. So, the business gets more customers. But they don’t care how it’s going to affect women. Like, if a man doesn’t have a second wife, and he goes to a restaurant called Second Wife, the woman might start thinking, is he thinking about it? So, in that sense, it’s not really the best choice.”
An elderly Muslim woman, Shazmeen Moosa, echoed similar discomfort. Speaking in Urdu, she said (translated):
“It’s disrespectful. Why bring marriage into food? They could have chosen something more honourable.”
Asian Standard made multiple attempts to contact the restaurant’s owner for comment via phone and message. At the time of publication, we had not received a response. We hoped to understand the intent behind the name, whether it was chosen purely as humour, as cultural commentary, or as deliberate edgy branding. Including the owner’s voice in the piece remains important, and we are open to updating the story if a statement is provided.
We also reached out to feminist organisations and gender studies academics for perspective. Leeds Women’s Aid, which supports women across the region, responded with a strong critique.
“Leeds Women’s Aid finds the name very offensive, and it is almost impossible in Islam for men to take multiple wives, and it is not legal in the UK, as bigamy is a criminal offence.
It is a very outdated, centuries-old tradition that has no place in cultural society anywhere in the world. As a diverse organisation, employing and supporting women from multiple culturally diverse communities, we believe the name is not humorous, promotes misogyny and reinforces gender stereotypes, and is harmful to the well-being of Muslim women.
This is either a deeply offensive and misogynistic enterprise, or a cynical attempt to obtain publicity.”
— Nik Peasgood, Chief Executive of Leeds Women’s Aid
Whether 2nd Wife is just a bold play on words or a sign of more troubling cultural narratives, one thing is certain: it has the city talking. And in Bradford, where food, culture, and identity intersect daily, this restaurant’s name may have done exactly what it intended to do: start a conversation.
