Even though starting a business with your best mate brings its challenges, who better to share the breakthrough moments with?
We discuss the importance of setting clear boundaries between your working and personal relationship. But also why being close enough to someone empowers you to speak freely and get things done.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
Listen to the full 'meal' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/full-meal-from-business-strategist-to-restaurant-owner/id1622951958?i=1000569012233
 
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJetnpd0a7U&t=2s
 
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/

In this Service Please Snack
Most business ideas come from unexpected places. For Peigh Asante, a trip to Jamaica and a custard apple started it all. What follows is the development of a food business into a dynamic business model.
Find out more about Trap Fruits here: https://trapfruitslondon.com/
 
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Listen to the full 'meal' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-hold-on-to-your-customers-start-a/id1622951958?i=1000579674776
 
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdDO4NhIMEM&t=617s
 
Service Please! Is also on:
 
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/

Most business ideas come from unexpected places, often from a passion that translates into an opportunity. But what you do with this idea will set you apart. For Peigh Asante, a trip to Jamaica and a custard apple started it all. What follows is the development of a food business into a dynamic business model.
We find out how Trap Fruits' subscription business came to life and how the pandemic accelerated its success. Then, Peigh takes us on the journey from growing an online community to turning that community into repeat customers.  
We chat about what it’s really like to run a business with your best mate. And the emotional balancing act that it takes. However, feeling comfortable enough with someone to be direct can help to strive for innovation and get things done. 
As a newcomer to the food industry, Peigh relied on the skills he picked up from his experience working in commercial spaces but also from his athlete mindset. He also learnt about the value of his network, which led him to bring an arm of catering within the business.
Peigh’s vision for Trap Fruits is to become part of people’s weekly shop. And to achieve this, we uncover the fundamentals of any online business. The importance of branding to make people feel they are part of something and keep the customers coming back. It is essential to have conversations with customers by delivering quality and educational content through email marketing, newsletters and blogs.
In addition to a strong online presence, Trap Fruits is reaching out to customers at markets and festivals, taking the opportunity to test new products such as juices and dehydrated fruit snacks. The aim is to take customers on a journey, one step at a time. And for Trap Fruits to keep moving forward with products in shops as well as online.
 
At the end of this episode you will know:
 
-To look at the things you enjoy to find a business idea
-The importance of building a community
-What it’s like to work with people close to you
-That most skills are transferable
-Why you should embrace learning new things 
-That your network is your net worth
-The fundamentals of online businesses
-The importance of customers retention
 
Find out more about Trap Fruits here: https://trapfruitslondon.com/
 
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdDO4NhIMEM&t=617s
 
Service Please! Is also on:
 
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en 
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/ 
 
 

In this Service Please! Snack, we share the importance of excellent communication and the constant need to reconnect with your team members to empower them. So they feel fully supported and able to address any issues head-on.
Emeka tells us what it was like to go from managing a pop-up restaurant and working with his sister. To launching a restaurant and managing a team of 14 employees of various ages, all with different personal circumstances.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
Listen to the full 'meal' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/full-meal-from-business-strategist-to-restaurant-owner/id1622951958?i=1000569012233
 
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJetnpd0a7U&t=2s
 
Service Please Socials:
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 
Chukus website  https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk/

In this Service Please! Snack, Emeka reminisces on the gruelling and lengthy process of site hunting. From getting property agents to understand your concept when it’s your first restaurant to going through the legal process of drawing up the rental contract. 
Emeka shares the truth about how long it really takes to get a restaurant off the ground. He also shares his tip for choosing the perfect shoes for site hunting.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
Listen to the full 'meal' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/full-meal-from-business-strategist-to-restaurant-owner/id1622951958?i=1000569012233
 
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJetnpd0a7U&t=2s
 
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 
Chukus website  https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk/

Emeka explains his vision behind launching a restaurant and how he wanted Chuku’s to be more than just food. By creating a physical and virtual space for the Nigerian community and others that want to be part of the journey to enjoy.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Listen to the full 'meal' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/full-meal-from-business-strategist-to-restaurant-owner/id1622951958?i=1000569012233
 
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJetnpd0a7U&t=2s
 
Service Please Socials:
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 
Chukus website  https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk/

In Service Please! Snack, Emeka talks about what it’s like to leave a career as an award-winning strategy consultant to launch a restaurant. 
He tells his story about how Chuku’s grew from his first attempt at a pop-up in 2016, which didn’t go to plan. From this, he realised the importance of committing his time to building his business.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
Listen to the full 'meal' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/full-meal-from-business-strategist-to-restaurant-owner/id1622951958?i=1000569012233
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJetnpd0a7U&t=2s
Service Please Socials:
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
Chukus website  https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk/

For Emeka, Nigerian cuisine is a cultural bridge between two homes. And when launching Chuku’s, it was important that it would serve the Nigerian community's expectations and be accessible to people from different backgrounds, so they can discover the hidden gems that Nigerian cuisine and culture offer.
Food critic Grace Dent described Chuku’s as a delicious, life-changing crash course in Nigerian tapas. And Timeout also named Chuku’s the best of Nigerian London. 
So in this Snack episode, Emeka explains how he wanted to bring Nigerian culture to the UK in the way he and his sister see it. Beautiful, colourful, flavoursome and accessible.
With 300 different ethnic groups, Nigeria has a highly diverse culture with equally diverse cuisine. And the Nigerian tapas concept at Chuku’s allows patrons to sample many dishes in one sitting.
Throughout this snack episode, you can feel Emeka’s passion behind his concept. Bringing out the Nigerian culture through the dishes they have worked on so hard to make justice to Nigerian cuisine in a bite-sized way. 
I've selected some of the best bits from this full episode or as I call it, the 'meal' and created some podcast 'snacks' & 'nibbles' if you're short on listening time.
Like, comment and subscribe to hear more about all things food.
 
Listen to the full 'meal' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/full-meal-from-business-strategist-to-restaurant-owner/id1622951958?i=1000569012233
 
Watch the full 'meal' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJetnpd0a7U&t=2s
 
Service Please Socials:
Service Please! Is also on:
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC88hWrBStdMvVDxZnrelRAQ
 
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@service.please?lang=en
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 
Chukus website  https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk/

Most people who think of quitting their day job will tell you how they want to launch a restaurant or cafe. It sounds like an idyllic life, serving up great food to appreciative customers all while being your own boss. 
 
We all know that the reality of running a restaurant couldn’t be further from the truth. And to take the leap, as siblings Emeka and Ifeyinwa Frederick did in February 2020, is an epic story of triumph over adversity.  
 
Emeka’s journey is not so straightforward as walking out of work one day and launching into Chuku’s, a Nigerian Tapas restaurant in North London, the next. Emeka shares the truth about how long it really takes to get a restaurant off the ground. And to do so with rave reviews - including from The Guardian’s Grace Dent - to keep that momentum going through the hardest of times for our industry. 
 
We chat about the challenges you can face that no one warns you about when launching a restaurant, and why you have to work hard to be taken seriously. Emeka tells his story about how Chucku’s grew from his first attempt at a pop-up in 2016, which didn’t go to plan, through to multiple other business models and ideas that eventually bloomed into Chuku’s. 
 
Emeka and Ifeyinwa saw each step as a learning opportunity that would develop over the years, becoming more immersed in the industry and gaining more knowledge about what you really need to have a successful restaurant that stands the test of time. 
 
Emeka also explains why creating a community around your business is vital to its ongoing success. He touches on leveraging social media but also building those relationships with customers. And why this is vital to breathe life into a restaurant.
 
Plus, we’ll be chatting about Nigerian food, the flavours, presentation and heritage that is central to Chuku’s. This is one mouth-watering episode that will leave you hungry for more. 
 
At the end of this episode you will know: 
Everything you need to know about launching a restaurant
What happens when you work with family
How to take a leap from employment to running your own business
Why you need to immerse yourself in the industry before attempting your own thing
Why you need a community around you
How you can be inspired by your heritage to develop a solid concept
What it’s really like to quit your job and launch a restaurant 
Find out more about Chuku’s here: https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk/
I've selected some of the best bits from this full episode or as I call it, the 'meal' and created some podcast 'snacks' & 'nibbles' if you're short on listening time.
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?lang=en
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/
 
 

Your professional life is sometimes so ingrained in the way you view the world,  sometimes  you have to remind yourself that not everyone is up to speed on the things you may consider elementary, so for me that's the London food scene. But something that has changed the way we all view the world is social media. When it comes to food that normally means that pizza you're eyeing up - Or that restaurant that looks perfect for a date night.
Kar-Shing or ‘Ks_ate_here’ is the person whose photos you would have been saving, sharing and commenting on over the last decade and his influence in shaping the London food scene is undeniable.  
His intention are still as pure as when he uploaded his first post -  “most people eat 3 meals a day, I just choose mine wisely and share them on instagram” he says with a smile. 
His knowledge of the food industry extends beyond just posting photos though, working in his parents restaurant most his formative years before moving to London to work in the financial sector.
In our conversation we talk about societal changes in the ways we can now enjoy food since the rise of social media and how it's been a major driving force in shaping the landscape of London. 
 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ks_ate_here/?hl=en-gb
 
I've selected some of the best bits from this full episode or as I call it, the 'meal' and created some podcast 'snacks' & 'nibbles' if you're short on listening time.
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?lang=en
 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-paterson-603680210/