[thb_message type="info"]Bish Bash Bangers - Bringing the Berlin currywurst to the British street food market.[/thb_message]
You've been in Berlin, you've loved the currywurst. Now you want to experience the real thing again... but you're back in the UK... [thb_highlight]We are your answer![/thb_highlight]
At Bish Bash Bangers we bring the authentic German currywurst to London & surrounding areas in the UK. We are a mobile catering business and you can find us at different events throughout London/UK or you can hire us for private events. Your choice 🙂
[thb_button size="large" color="graphite" url="https://www.bishbashbangers.com/contact/" text="Call 07415 408 104 or text us!"]
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We were a team.
Katja and I have been born to be a team. It just works, and it works well.
We understand each other, we help each other, we challenge each other and we compliment each other.
Katja excels at exactly those things I find difficult by nature and I like to believe that the opposite also takes place.
I can say all of the above in other words: it makes me IMMENSELY happy to work with Katja.
Full stop.
So, once we started working together we... started working together.
At first we would get together at my place and sit in front of the internet for hours. We were researching everything: from 'how to set up a street food stall' to insurance, pots and pans, checking out all the popular markets, setting up an email signature, finding out about gas (Katja had bought electric appliances as we didn't know people usually run on gas!), etc etc etc.
You name it, we were on it. I created a folder so I could bookmark all of the pages that were of interest, and there were many!
[thb_message type="notice"]One page that really helped was marketstartup.co.uk. I do recommend that you check it out if you're looking into setting up your own street food catering business.[/thb_message]
I remember watching a video in which NCASS was mentioned. I did pay attention because it seemed like an 'important' thing.
It didn't register at first what NCASS was, only that it was a good idea to be part of it.
I researched further and finally made the phone call. Alan was the one that answered the phone.
It is important that you know that by this time we had already called a few markets (I think we started with Camden). We had more or less been refused in all of them, or they simply pointed us to what seemed to be enormous amount of paperwork (or at least tedious) for nothing... You could just tell that sending those papers/emails off was not going to get you anywhere.
Also, the people we had ben dealing with were part of departments that were part of bigger departments that were part of even bigger departments within the council. We also called private markets but same thing happened: there was no real interest from the other end.
Back to Alan. So he answers the phone (I'm here at home, in front of the computer, Katja next to me) and straight away there seems to be some sort of communication. His information goes straight to the point. I ask him what is NCASS, why would we need it... in fact, do we need it at all?
His answer is yes, we do. Because NCASS tries to do everything in a way that it will keep the market trader and everyone else safe. Everything is done legally for your safety.
We put the phone down and we hesitate. That's another £200 off Katja's pocket for no 'real' reason. It's not a pitch, it's not a pot, it's not even the insurance... It's just talk and paperwork that we might not even need!
I told Katja I would research a bit more about this.
And I did.
I live in the Paddington area and love walking my dog around the canal.
Here's my dog:
Her name is Lucky... sweet, isn't she? 🙂
So, here I am walking my dog around Merchant Square, in Paddington (W2) when I realise there's a small food market area in the middle of the square. I remember getting a little excited, as I thought: one day that will be us!
I walked around the stalls, cautious at first, all I want is to see how it 'feels' to be inside a gazebo cleaning your pans, attending your customers, living the street food life...
...all I want is to see how it 'feels' to be inside a gazebo cleaning your pans, attending your customers, living the street food life...
I repeated the same thing 3 days in a row. Walking around the stalls, looking as unsuspicious as possible, trying to get the feeling... and eventually, very shaky, talking to the people at the market. First 'hello' and finally 'who runs this "thing"'?
"Steve" someone said.
And pointed towards a beatiful 60s airstreamer... The Wrap Shack
And so there I go, walking towards my future.
I met Steve. Loveliest person ever.
"My friend and I are setting up a stall selling German sausages... I just wondered how this 'whole thing' works..."
I just wondered how this 'whole thing' works...
Steve was busy (it was lunchtime) but he still took the time to listen. I was nervous. This man could totally blank me out and that would be a total disaster for my first [EVER] approach in this business.
But he didn't. He spoke softly and calmly and made me feel reassured.
I can't remember the conversation that took place. All I know is that I kept coming back to see Steve another two or three times, the last one with Katja.
Steve started talking about having us for Christmas, as the festive period is such an great time of the year for the German feel. I remember when we approached he said straight away he was just talking about us and how our stall would be perfect for trading around Christmas time.
Katja and I were over the moon. Someone wanted us!
But soon it got to be much more than that. Two weeks later we were already trading in Merchant Square, Paddington...
...every Thursday 🙂
{Continues}
