You can be selling the best product there is out there. But people need to see it to buy it. And in a crowded industry, getting people to notice you will make all the difference.
That’s exactly how Club Mexicana showcased their tasty vegan food, with bright colours and over-the-top decorations. So people could discover their awesome Mexican vegan food and enjoy it in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.  
This maximal style put Club Mexicana on the map and led Meriel to grow her business from street food to bricks-and-mortar, one step at a time. 
 
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Meriel Armitage is the owner of Club Mexicana in Kingly Court, Spitalfields and Seven Dials Market, where you can enjoy 100% Vegan Mexican-inspired street food in a fun atmosphere.
Meriel’s journey from running a pop-up to finally running a Vegan restaurant is an inspiration. Her story in the food space started with a Saturday night supper club in a Hackney café. Meriel wanted to build an aspirational brand. She wanted to showcase vegan street food in London to “create great vegan food and show people it’s exciting”.
From the streets to ‘brick-and-mortar’
After a successful time as a pop-up, Meriel took Club Mexicana into the UK’s leading street food organisation, KERB, doing as many street food events and festivals as possible. But Meriel always dreamt of opening a “proper” restaurant where she’d rebrand Veganism to be enticing and fun.
But it was not straightforward as her dream materialised when the pandemic hit. Although she had to navigate the unique challenges hospitality faced during the time, she feels they came out of it as a stronger team.
So after seven years of success in the food space, the brick-and-mortar version of Club Mexicana opened in August 2020 in Soho. You can also enjoy Club Mexicana’s experience in Seven Dials Market. And now, in a second restaurant opened in Shoreditch.
Rebranding Veganism
Meriel took a cue from her background in advertising. Ever since the beginning, she has set her Vegan restaurant apart with an 80s colourful tropical theme. She explains how she wanted to differentiate her brand in a sea of minimalist food stands.
Meriel tells us how she wants to create an aspirational brand and a fun atmosphere. Away from the stuffy, ethical seriousness of most Vegan places.
The success of her restaurant lies in the service, music and vibe. Meriel explains that “90% of why people are there is not for what’s on the plate”. People want to sit there, have a drink and have fun.
By breaking the preconceived ideas around veganism, Meriel wants her customers to have a fantastic time while enjoying excellent food.
The food industry is a community like no other
Meriel tells us that an entrepreneurial mother raised her, so she never knew what patriarchy was before working in a male-dominated industry like the food industry.
However, the community within the food industry is incredibly supportive. And Meriel explains how she was always able to reach out to someone for advice and tips on running her business. One of her great mentors is Zan Kaufman, founder of Bleecker Burger, who advised her on how to run a restaurant, especially on the financial side of things.
A great sense of camaraderie showed up, especially during the pandemic when every business owner in the hospitality industry witnessed the erosion of their business. While at the same time trying to support and guide their team through the furlough scheme.
She talks about the community pulling together with the help of Sports Banger, putting money back into struggling food businesses and providing food for NHS staff and Food Banks across London.
It demonstrates how resilient and strong the food industry is. And as Veganism started to become mainstream and more people wanted in on it, Meriel explains that she’s happily welcoming more competition. Because her vision is for veganism to become an aspirational mindset.
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A question that Sonder & Tell gets asked a lot is when a business should start thinking about brand positioning and tone of voice? Kate Hamilton explains that a business should start brand building as soon as possible. This is especially true if you are in a very competitive industry, such as the food space. 
 
Typically, the businesses that go the distance are those that focus on brand positioning and sell something more than just a product.
 
There’s real power in defining your brand positioning early and telling a story with it. Because your story can inspire your team, your customers, the people you want to hire and investors who want to see evidence of a brand.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Service Please! Is also on:
 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ 
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please 
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/ 

When your business focuses on verbal identity, it’s essential to get your business name right. Kate Hamilton tells us how the name Sonder & Tell came to life, and its meaning, from the discovery of a word made up to describe an obscure human emotion. 
We discuss the importance of structure in a creative framework to prevent you from deviating from your goal. And Kate tells us that the best stories are indeed strategic ones.
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Service Please! Is also on:
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/

Kate Hamilton grew up with a passion for literature and storytelling. And a few years ago she co-founded Sonder & Tell, a marketing agency that helps brands find their voice and tell their story. Kate tells us about her love for the world-building element of storytelling. And she admires authors who paint a picture of a scene with short punchy sentences that let your imagination fill the gaps.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
Service Please! Is also on:
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TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 

Kate Hamilton co-founded Sonder & Tell, a marketing agency that helps brands find their voice and tell their story. Kate’s grown up with a passion for literature and storytelling. And her parents nurtured her love of words. This passion for words shows up in the name Sonder & Tell. And we find out about Kate's journey to find her brand's verbal identity and the meaning of Sonder. 
In this Service Please episode, we have a fascinating conversation with Kate about the importance of brand positioning at a very early stage so you can tell a story with it. 
Brand building and storytelling
We discuss the strategy involved in storytelling to help brands shape who they want to be, the role they want to play for their customers and the position they take in the market.
And by doing this as early as possible, brands can use their story to inspire their team, customers, the people they want to hire and investors. Especially when investors want to see evidence of a brand in the early stages. 
Tell a story with food
We talk about the similarities between food and storytelling. For example, you can tell a story with your choice of meal, how you set up the scene with lighting, music and the way you lay the table. 
Kate also tells us why building a brand positioning early is even more critical in the food space. Because it is saturated, only brands that stand out will be the ones to survive in the long run.
She gives examples of the big food brands Sonder & Tell helped to find their stance and voice. And how they start with the customer base's aspirational mindset and solve their problem.
Brand positioning is the root of the message
Sonder & Tell’s area of expertise is creating the upfront brand strategy. But Kate also talks about filtering this expertise into content strategy. 
Because essentially, brand positioning is the root of a brand’s message and tone of voice that will then be used to speak to customers on any platform.

Natasha shares her favourite places to eat, which you’ll find, are pretty much the top ten on the onezone.app. But honestly, you couldn’t expect any less from an app’s founder who keeps a fresh eye on what’s hot right now. So while we don’t think Natasha can settle on one particular place to go (the plus side is that it just means more amazing places for you to discover), she could settle on three people she’d love to share that meal with. 
Zuckerberg, for that Tech guru thing, Bob Iger from Disney for that CEO guru thing. And as Natasha explains the correlation between amazing places to drink, eat and stay and the dating scene, Whitney Wolfe Herd, a very successful female founder.
⋗⋗ Perks
In this episode, Natasha kindly offers our listeners a three months free premium membership. Simply email info@onezone.app with the subject Service Please podcast.
 
⋗⋗ Watch the full episode here : https://youtu.be/WfnYyow76YY
 
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
Find out more about onezone.app and download the app here: https://www.onezone.app/

What it’s like for a female founder and CEO to navigate the business space, sitting in boardrooms surrounded by mostly male investors? Natasha explains the challenges of being a founder today, dealing with investors from older generations who don’t always get it—and trying to be the leader for that next generation who does get it.
⋗⋗ Perks
In this episode, Natasha kindly offers our listeners a three months free premium membership. Simply email info@onezone.app with the subject Service Please podcast.
 
⋗⋗ Watch the full episode here : https://youtu.be/WfnYyow76YY
 
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 
Find out more about onezone and download the app here: https://www.onezone.app/

Onezone.app is scaling up for Londoners who want to go away, land in any city, and know exactly where to go. Onezone.app is currently available in Paris, Lisbon, Berlin and Barcelona, and more cities are coming soon. Onezone.app is operating their services abroad on a premium membership, making sure members get the most of it, with 24h access and perks that surpass their investment. 
Perks
In this episode, Natasha kindly offers our listeners a three months free premium membership. Simply email info@onezone.app with the subject Service Please podcast.
 
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
Find out more about onezone.app and download the app here: https://www.onezone.app/

Onezone’s polished editorial-type content that showcases stunning photography, emulates the likes of Instagram. And while this type of content really speaks to Gen Zs, they will need to mature in order to fully make use of the onezone app. Millennials are the generation with the disposable income and are currently the audience that can make the most of what onezone is offering. However, onezone is already one step ahead and is ready for when Gen Zs are. 
 
Perks
 
In this episode, Natasha kindly offers our listeners a three months free premium membership. Simply email info@onezone.app with the subject Service Please podcast.
 
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 
Find out more about onezone.app and download the app here: https://www.onezone.app/