PIVOT !!!

As the sun is high, flowers start blooming, the temperature rises and zombie Jesus leaves us chocolate eggs, the seasons are changing. As we transition from Sunday dinner season to Food Van season, the pace of the day changes, the faces change but the message remains. “Making good food accessible to all “. A quick glance back and the Sunday Dinner kits helped to maintain us throughout the quieter time and hopefully provided comfort to all those lovely customers who gave us a go each and every week.

This years Sunday Dinner season has been accented by some van work courtesy of Gower Dough presents. A pop up drive in cinema that gave us exposure to a whole new market in a new part of town. Although the days were long, the energy and pay off have been very positive and being around great and driven people definitely gives you a sense of purpose, as well as some hard knock lessons.

During an Encanto screening I received 60 online orders in a very very short amount of time. The ping of the machine haunted me for days after but with everybody’s food delivered by half way into the movie, there are definite positives to take. Somethings are beyond your control and you have to just keep your head down and give it all you have, you can always cry in the shower later. And on occasion you can have a sob when your handbrake fails on the van after a very long few days and a big part of your profit is spent replacing said handbrake.

Some weeks it just feels as if the business just spends, spends, spends but it is always towards an event, maintenance or a busy time. Being able to find the context helps as well as looking at the end game. Recently I heard a wonderful quote, “most people over estimate what they can do in a year but severely underestimate what they can do in a decade!.” I take this to mean patience and perspective are fundamental keys in succeeding.

As for the development of the second van it has been a constant source of frustration due to it being so close, yet so far from ready. As we look to install a fish and chip range, the van needs to lose some weight. So off with the metal signage, fridges out, tables out and anything that can be spared or scrapped. If it’s possible to sell on Marketplace on it goes, without a seconds hesitation. The familiar feeling of a project not progressing as one hopes is back at the forefront. Having an uncomfortable feeling is always a good motivation to make the phone call, arrange the meeting or spend the money. As stated before, to grow you have to get out of that comfort zone. Now it’s story time. Apologies to those who have read it before.

For those who haven’t followed the blog before (firstly welcome), I was a chef at a very successful wedding venue but I knew regrets would be in my future if I didn’t take action, so although it terrified me, I left and pursued my dream of a food van empire. I brought a van (that is my favourite blog, well worth a read) and although I didn’t have a scooby of how to transform it, we began. Due to some amazing people coming into my life, that van got renovated and would eventually was able to get a summer residency, where I got to meet even more personalities to learn from. Just before the pandemic hit we set up a ready to warm Sunday dinner company, with no idea of what we were doing, with setting up a business or remodelling our house to accommodate it. As uncomfortable as it was it was a necessity to survive so we learnt what was needed, made some mistakes and learnt again. So for the last two years for countless Sunday mornings, I was up at 3-4am cooking potatoes ready for delivery of the best Sunday dinner in Swansea. It was so well received and almost had a cult following amongst our regulars.

BUT, for what it gave other people, it took from us. With the weekends labour intensive, the boys in school Monday to Friday and all of the other work, shopping, order taking and admin, I could see what it was doing and something felt wrong. The struggles and logistics to get my boys to play rugby with their friends on a Sunday morning, the rigid structure of the week meant going to weddings and birthdays became military operations. The amount of birthday parties the boys have missed due to our work commitments is more than I care to remember, it wasn’t right and it wasn’t how I wanted their life to be. As much as we could rely on other parents for lifts and favours, that was nothing more than a band aid. To change this was about taking responsibility of the path you wish to walk. It was time for a pivot!…..

The pivot is a drastic but necessary one, from this point on BARRING A LOCKDOWN, and with a heavy heart, the Sunday dinner kits will be NO MORE. The decision on Christmas hasn’t been made yet, I could appreciate that demand may not be there, and I can completely respect that viewpoint. To everyone who has been with us, supported us and ordered, I will forever be humbled and appreciative. To all the drivers, thank you, to all those who entered our competitions, thank you. Everyone who has liked a post, thank you. When this first began we had no idea we would have sell outs, including 120 Christmas dinners in 13 minutes!, and that you would let us into your sunday. I hope we have been part of some great memories for you as you have been for us. If this is the end of our time together thank you, if you’re ever passing the van come say hi. I really hope you understand and want you to know this wasn’t a quick decision, but ultimately when I’m on the van it feels right, it’s where I’m meant to be and even if it fails, which it could, I will know I tried and for that time I was truly free to cook.

After a time of heavy reflection, an element of truth and clarity hit me. I had lost the original direction, it was always about street food and food vans, that was the dream. Although the Sunday dinners and Christmas dinners were a wonderful detour, it was never the intended path. It gave an element of the same result “making good food accessible to all “ . So with that path redrawn, I got to messaging companies about the van, pitching our food for after the summer season.

I received a reply. The message came through from a local brewery. This brewery has an awesome location, a striking identity that compliments Food Anarchy, a historic building full of character and even has a trendy bar on site. Food Anarchy is going to Boss Brewery.

After meeting a lovely, enthusiastic lady named Laura, it felt like a perfect fit. There is a lesson in that by putting yourself out there, great things can happen. We have agreed a pitch for every Friday and Saturday night and extended hours for match days at the football stadium. The food will be matched to compliment beer and an excitement is really brewing in me (awful pun). And there is plenty of parking for collections. (I will be looking into UberEats, Just Eats etc)

With the patience of saints, another location has waited for the fish and chip van. This will happen, no two ways about it. Although waiting on some people for work is out of my control, this is an WHEN not an IF. So with three nights of trading established after the summer, we have a shot. And that’s all it is… a shot. Am I back to being terrified? Yep. Does it feel uncomfortable again? yes, does it feel I’m at the bottom of the mountain again with a lot to learn? Yes. Is that how we grow? Damn straight. I know one thing is that I’ll give it everything.

“To live an extraordinary life, you must try extraordinary things”

Happy eating