We are 18 months in to our Eat Street adventure! How time flies. You probably know us by now but incase you don’t this blog will hopefully mean you soon will!
Who is Eat Street?
From the beginning we have had a clear identity.
For us, it was important to maintain that identity and values throughout the whole business. We didn’t want to create a confused service constantly chasing the money.
We definitely need to be agile and quick to adapt. We can’t keep doing something if it isn’t working but at the same time we have to stay true to our brand identity. We know who we are and what we stand for and we do not compromise our values for a ‘quick buck’.
This brand identity is really important as it means that people understand exactly what they are getting for their money. With Eat Street it is about creativity, flexibility and sustainability as well as a personal service.
So what do we stand for? We wanted to share with you our Eat Street vision statement and Eat Street mission statement to help explain
Vision Statement
Eat Street will endeavour to explore all possible ways to be innovative with food options, offering ever changing variety and bold dishes, as well as classic options. Reducing global footprint will remain a priority. The company will adapt to the social climate and be agile in changing the business model and product to suit the requirements of the customers. We will focus on offering a value for money experience which is modern and tasty. There will be a focus on local sourcing and sustainability.
Mission Statement
Eat street will provide a safe option for those continuing to social distance in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is not the limit of the business, however an important initial focus and USP. Eat Street will provide value for money and a wide selection of options including different cuisines and world foods. Eat Street will offer a community based business and will be supportive of other local businesses, using them for produce where possible.
What does this mean?
We have some key non-negotiables within our business which enable us to make decisions without needing to really think about it. We won’t have unnecessary food waste – so if we have an opportunity presented to us (even if it makes a tonne of money) that is difficult to control and may lead to waste – we don’t do it. If someone wants a really traditional Fillet steak which is rich with creamy and heavy sauces – we kindly refer them to someone more suitable to their needs….you get the picture. We could easily make lots of money selling deep fried food or doing sandwich buffets with cheap supermarket bread and there are lot’s of people who want that kind of thing, but it isn’t Eat Street.
Eat Street challenges you to try something different. It brings World cuisine to your doorstep and playfully twists classic dishes we know and love. It blends cuisines and fuses flavours from different regions.
Community
Community is one of our buzz words. We want to know you and we want you to know us. What makes us tick is the intimate events where we can chat to your guests and serve with a smile! It’s the loyal customers who book with us every single week for takeaway. We have gotten to know some of our regulars well and we have become a trusted brand for them, a first call for things ‘food’. We don’t ever want to become a ‘logo’ to our customers, we are Alex and Laurel and that is part of our brand. We will go out of our way for you and we pride ourselves on our customer service.
We will buy you a main course on your birthday and give you a hand written card. Just let us know when your birthday is here and sign up to our mailing list to receive extra offers and information. If you are unsure about how to order, want something a little different than is stated on our menu or you may even be unsatisfied with our product – we will give you a call and have a chat. We take negative feedback to heart because we care – we will turn it around for you and ensure you leave our service happy. We do make mistakes sometimes but we own them. Despite the lack of contact in ordering from us you will have no doubt that we will give you the most personal experience and will leave you wanting to return for more.
Meet the team
Laurel
Laurel is the cocktail loving crazy cat lady who will negotiate with anyone! She grew up in Oxfordshire in a small village and has worked many roles in front of house hospitality and as a wedding coordinator before settling into procurement roles, most recently for Carnival UK where she was a buyer for crockery, cutlery, glassware and small kitchen equipment.
Laurel loves a spreadsheet and is great at finding deals and savings so she manages all the admin and money at Eat Street. Laurel does our accounting and creates sales leads as well as meeting with clients and finding us new products. She also manages most of the website and is with me for service every night, taking care of the packaging and organising your orders which includes sending the digital keys daily for the lockers.
Laurel will speak to anyone, is super friendly but also not afraid to speak her mind. She likes to spend her days with our cat in the office, is chief taste tester for Eat Street and can always be found with a snack in hand!
Alex
I was born in Nottingham but moved to the IOW when I was 10. I have travelled around the UK working in various hotels and restaurants as a pastry chef and then most recently as a development chef for Cunard, where I met Laurel.
I do all of the cooking at Eat Street and I also write the menus for our event clients and takeaway and do any DIY jobs for the business. I built the commercial kitchen in the house as well as converting the horsebox.
I love problem solving but will let a problem consume me for up to X weeks while I am trying to solve it! I came up with the idea for the contact free ‘lockers’ and I built them with the help of my Dad. I am very driven and I am a bit of a workaholic really, can’t sit still for long (at least without feeling guilty).
Teamwork
A good team is so important and we are really lucky that we work so well together. We are always challenging each other and driving each other to evaluate our product. It is really easy (especially when you are tired, busy and working hard) to drift along and not grow or develop. You make half-hearted plans about things you would like to do and before you know it you have missed the boat and haven’t done anything! We have strategy meetings and discuss plans for the future of Eat Street as well as reviewing old processes and products and changing them if they are not working. When I make a mistake I beat myself up and I sometimes can’t see a solution because I get bogged down in the moment. Laurel will think on her feet and react, finding a way around a problem. I think really far ahead and will be planning weddings and events in my mind months before. We both have strengths and weaknesses and we play to those strengths to ensure we are at our most effective as a team.
The best thing is we can be brutally honest with each other. We talk about things and communicate really well to make sure we are both happy with our direction.
A sustainable business
We look at this concept in two ways –
The ability to continue over a long period of time – We are here for the long haul! Eat Street is a lifestyle business. It facilitates us to do what we want to do and means we don’t have to go and work for someone else. It doesn’t make us millions of pounds but it gives us a huge amount of satisfaction and other things that are important to us. We manage the business in a way that it will grow organically in a way that we can manage it ourselves. We buy quality equipment and invest in our future and the future of our business. We don’t pay ourselves a salary, we keep all of the money from Eat Street within the business. We also run Eat Street from our house. We have minimal overheads and we do that so that we can grow at a reasonable pace without money pressures forcing us to cut corners or contradict our values.
We make the best decisions we can to be as environmentally friendly as we can be, thus allowing the planet to continue over a long period of time. We are not perfect but we try our best and we share our knowledge and practises with others.
Events
You may not know that we do events but we do and it’s becoming an ever increasing part of our business.
The special thing about an Eat Street event is that it’s completely bespoke to our clients. That means that we design the menu and pricing for you and your budget. We don’t have any price lists or menus to refer to, we just work with our clients so that we can deliver your event the way you want it.
If you are interested in booking an event with Eat Street here’s what you can expect –
All type of events catered for
Bespoke menus
Flexibility
Complimentary tasting with a booking for over 50 people
Personal and professional service
Dedicated personal webpage with all event information
Competitive and bespoke pricing
Eco friendly and zero waste approach
