2023's Champion returns

OOH: Why do you think competitions, like the Street Food Championships, are important for the industry?
DA: The thing I enjoyed the most about the competition was getting together with people that were in a similar situation to me. Networking with other people doing exactly the same thing, that I never have a chance to talk to and to really see what’s happening in the wider industry. I also found that it was less of a competition to me, I just wanted to go up there and have fun and mingle, something that’s often missing when working in silo stands. It was nice to get out there, share some war stories and just get involved while celebrating the industry.

OOH: Did you expect to win?
DA: I’ve got to be perfectly honest; I didn’t expect to win. We had just discovered there was a Yard Sale Pizza down the road from the venue, The Big Penny Social. The team and I were planning on heading there after the winners were announced. We were waiting for the countdown from third, to second and almost left, but as soon as they said first place and my name, I turned to my team and said ‘I guess we’re staying’.
I was genuinely shocked by the win. There are pictures of me afterwards, and I look out of it and it’s just because I was just completely blown away with it. I just didn’t know how to take it in. And for those wondering — we did get a celebratory Yard Sale Pizza in the end. 

OOH: Since November, when we last saw you, what has changed for you and the brand? 
DA: Well, the burger we won with has gone on to sell out. The burger requires our team to make kimchi, and I think the guys are now having to make kimchi every day. The overall win has been good in providing exposure and awareness. Being able to have a title on the menu that says Street Food Champion 2023 next to the burger that won carries a lot of weight. The first month after we won, every single ticket that went into the kitchen had a Chicktator burger on it. However, it hasn’t come without its own pressure – I’ve told my team: this is the best street food dish in the country for the next year, make sure it’s perfect every single time it goes out. 

OOH: Is your award-winning dish still on the menu?
DA: Yes, it is. It’s been on the menu for years beforehand, but it had never been a top seller. It was a really good burger that I really loved making, and thought it tasted great, but we didn’t really sell many of it. And now it’s honestly become one of the top three best sellers of all time. 

The award-winning Chicktator burger

OOH: What do you think makes the perfect wing or burger?
DA: Love. It is that simple. Ingredients can often be the same, what goes into our burgers could be something you’ve got in your cupboard. So, it’s really about putting some love into it and thinking about each component in its own way. I enjoy questioning elements like: How’s the crunch? What’s the sweet, what’s the salt, what’s the sour, for example. And finding the balance of how every element of flavour works with one other. There’s a lot of trial and error in making a burger. 
The team and I have sessions where we’ll join forces, and make a team buffalo sauce for five hours, where we’ll just be tweaking the ingredients, like the vinegar and the butter, and just keep trying it and trying it. It’s a chore, but it’s the best way to make something amazing and with love. Because if you don’t have love, then you know that’s not going to carry through to the customers.

OOH: So how has winning the Street Food Championships changed things for you and the team? Have you guys opened any new sites?
DA: We’ve done a couple of pub residencies since. We opened one pretty shortly after we won, and then we opened another one in February, and they’re going really well. We’re in Bristol, and we’re getting our name out there. We’re also in the process of a bigger one in Exeter, where we have demand. We’ve gone from a small seven-seater table restaurant to 200 covers. We are also looking to open a proper restaurant in Bristol once we end the pub residency. 

OOH: As you’re pretty active on Instagram, why do you think social media is important for a street food brand?
DA: Brand is everything, and I don’t just mean a logo. Tone of voice is so important. You need a way to tell your story through your brand and I think socials is the best way to do that. We’re very much a sort of tongue in cheek brand. Eat the Bird means to flip someone the middle finger and they’ve eaten it. We use these off the wall play on words alongside illustrated caricatures of our menu. Our brand likes to be a bit more on the entertaining side of things, rather than the serious, educational brand, we just want to have a bit of fun. Make people laugh. And I think that carries through quite well. We don’t take ourselves too seriously in that kind of matter. 

OOH: What would you say for competitors this year?
DA: Don’t overcomplicate it. Do what’s in your heart and what you’ve done a million times before. I think it can be too easy to try and reinvent something or go over the top or whatever, but I think simplicity is best. I didn’t think that we would win doing what we did, because it’s a burger that we serve every day. The burger is two sauces, some kimchi, and a little secret seasoning. It wasn’t the most groundbreaking thing ever, but sometimes simple is better.

Read the full interview in our October issue.

Register to attend the 2024 Street Food Championships now

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