A squeeze of passion, a pinch of pizazz, a dollop of hard-work and an appetite to succeed are just some of the staple ingredients that go into running your own food business. In between working their magic in the kitchen and serving up gourmet delights, we asked three BizCover foodie customers to spill the beans on what goes into their special recipe for success.
Wings of Glory, Melbourne
It was during a visit to Las Vegas when owner Steven Lo of Wings of Glory had his light-bulb moment, finding the inspiration to bring the authentic flavours of America back to the land down under. Never being able to get that true buffalo wing taste back in his hometown of Melbourne, it took a year to perfect the menu of original American style cuisine before opening the doors of their first store.
Wings of Glory deliver a flavour of their own, serving up a variety of wings from original to boneless and even a vegetarian style. They also make their own sauces, dips and the specialty hand cut chips (these take 2 days to make) all in-house and from locally sourced produce.
But it’s not just their consistently delicious menu that keeps their clients coming back for more, it’s their commitment to providing friendly service and always listening to their customers.
Flying high and making the mouths of Melbournians water, these are some of the ingredients that go into their recipe for success:
- Hard work and planning- being prepared to work long hours and not getting paid to do it
- Not being afraid of taking the leap. People will tell you what they think, but it’s only because they don’t see themselves doing it
- Listen to advice, but ultimately the choice is yours. See criticism as a way to help improve yourself/ your product.
- Don’t forget to enjoy yourself on the journey!
Miss Sushi Northtown and Dump Truk, Townsville
Owners Roger and Hangbing Dalton keep themselves busy by running not only one but two food businesses in the North Queensland city of Townsville. Driven by a fierce need to move forward in life independently, Hangbing was inspired by a love of good food and the self-belief to be able to do it just as well (if not better) than anyone else out there.
Miss Sushi Northtown is the firstborn creation, selling fresh sushi and hot spring rolls made in-store and served to the hungry downtown lunch market. Next to open was Dump Truk, taking a different culinary direction than its sushi inspired big sister, specialising in dumplings, noodle soups and crowd favourite, Beef Rendang Curry.
Both restaurants have a loyal customer base and not just because they sell high-quality dishes at a reasonable price, but it’s the staff and the way they get to know their customers, greeting them as friends and instantly making them feel at home.
It’s more than rice and dumplings that go into rolling a successful food business – these are some of the ingredients that go into Miss Sushi and Dump Truk’s recipe for success:
- Courage: you got to keep going even when things are not so You need some bravery, especially at the start and plenty to keep working through the inevitable issues of running a small business
- Work: nobody will work as hard as one who owns their own business. No employee ever matches the effort and attention, and you don’t expect it. Good staff are incredibly precious.
- Fussiness: there’s no other word for it! You have to pay attention to the little things and keep on doing so day after day. I focus on things like presentation, quality, neatness cheerfulness..oh so many things!
Yo Momma So Fat, Richmond
Motivated to create a space where people could go to chill out, tell some jokes, drink awesome coffee and eat delicious food, Yo Momma So Fat is a dream that became a cheeky café reality for owner Lauren Orlow.
While Bridge St in Richmond may be rich with café options, Yo Momma So Fat sets itself out from the crowds with its playful and friendly approach to life. Every staff member brings a sense of humour and isn’t afraid to have a joke with their customers. Light-hearted and cosy, the ambience is inviting with more than a fair share of regulars dubbing it their home away from home.
Using social media and reaching out to the local Richmond community with flyers is a strategy which has helped the team to get the business known among the locals.
While a sense of humour goes a long way, there’s a whole lot more than laughs that goes into this café’s recipe for success! Lauren believes it’s a mix of:
- Serving amazing coffee and food
- Hiring incredible staff that work well as a team and do their best to ‘wow’ the customers
- Creating a light atmosphere for customers to escape the heavy… great music helps too!
If you’re a small business owner who would love to share your unique recipe for success let us know by sending us a line at marketing@bizcover.com.au.
