Local Small Business Week: Local Delicacies

Whether it’s Cornish pasties, fish & chips from seaside towns or a Birmingham Balti, some dishes are best served local. Today we celebrate the joy which local small businesses restaurants, street-food & pop up restaurants bring. These businesses allow us to sample unique dishes which stand out from the usual high street trade & are often handmade to perfection by passionate chefs with an artistic licence over their food and a desire to bring something new to locals.

This was the case for Jamie Savage who used his Naval chef training to set up Savage Mussles:

‘Although I was mostly set up for my pop-up events the opportunity arose to take on a permanent stall at Altrincham Market and Macclesfield’s Treacle Market. It was a risk to leave my job and go for it. This is where X-Forces has really helped me. I can pay my stall fees and buy my produce without having to worry about cashflow. Being part of the XFE network has also helped to raise awareness of the brand and attain further pop-up event opportunities.’

As explored in our blog, street food and pop up restaurants provide entrepreneurial chefs the opportunity to allow different local communities to sample their cuisine and test the market in different locations. This is also beneficial for local residents who benefit from somewhere new to enjoy a chat over dinner or somewhere different to celebrate a happy occasion.

If you are an entrepreneurial chef looking to set up the next local legend restaurant or have been trading under 24 months, contact X-Forces Enterprise for business advice, access to low-interest government-backed funding, workshops and networking events and ongoing mentoring. Our support is fully funded by our partners and so we do not charge you for our help.