Start! Mobile hamburgers from two enterprising young men
Their hamburger food truck appeared in Szczecin streets only a few weeks ago, but it has already gained a group of ardent fans. In this edition of Start! Michał and Mateusz Szczuplak of Bro Burgers talk about their business idea.
Food trucks seem to constitute typical elements of cities’ culinary landscapes in Western Europe and in the United States. Tasty and good quality food sold directly from a truck has recently become hip in Szczecin too. Bro hamburgers are prepared and sold from a specially adapted goods’ vehicle with a grill and other cooking facilities.
“We have decided to create this business out of love for eating and good food.” – explains Mateusz Szczuplak. “Another reason was our admiration for the American culture, lifestyle and eating habits. When we started thinking about setting up this kind of business, there were no restaurants or bars serving good hamburgers in Szczecin. But we did come across good burgers in other Polish towns, and this inspired us to create a burger selling facility here. However, a regular burger bar seemed too banal and admittedly, also too costly. This is how the idea of a food truck was born.”
Not mentioning scarce family grilling sessions, the Szczuplak brothers had no previous cooking experience. Michał is a work safety and hygiene specialist, he also used to work as a geodetic surveyor. Mateusz was a student of national security and international relations. Finally, they decided to devote all energies and time to their business undertaking. “I am the grill master – I like this job and seem to be doing it quite well,” – says Michał. “I am also responsible for all formalities. Mateusz on the other hand, deals with the customers, puts the burgers together and adds the toppings. He also holds sway in the area of the graphic design and our image.” – he adds.
It took them six months to get ready for the launch of business. The most important investment was obviously buying the right kind of a vehicle. The one they ultimately decided on had earlier served as a mobile bakery in Germany. Michał and Mateusz made all the necessary repairs and accommodations themselves and they put their logo and advertisings, as designed by Mateusz, on the car body. The whole venture was arranged, the business plan developed and all formal requirements successfully met thanks to the training conducted by the Polish Entrepreneurs’ Foundation, under the Clone Project. Michał took part in the training, but the brothers spent approximately PLN 50 thousand of their own savings to start up the business.
From the very outset, the major rationale underlying their venture was to use top-quality ingredients, primarily the best possible meat. The owners admit that finding a good beef supplier in our region was not an easy task. “Searching for a reliable supplier took us considerable time, but our efforts have been rewarded – we have really great meat at our disposal,” – ensures Michał. “The beef originates from our province and each batch we buy carries a certificate of quality. A cook friend has helped us create the menu, but we composed and tested each kind of burger ourselves. Some of our suggestions are our original ideas, but we also serve the classics.” – he adds.
The meat seems to have met the highest standards, because only after several days of operations the Bro Burgers company was using circa 15 kilos of beef per day. “The first two or three days seemed a bit less busy. Then the customers started to file in. We did not expect such a success. Before our first round we had only set up a profile in a social network and took out one advertisement. But the grapevine seems to have worked fast. Now it sometimes happens that we need to finish early, because we run out of ingredients.” – they admit.
Hamburgers seem to be popular among students and youngsters, businessmen and sportsmen alike. Lately, Bro Burgers have been praised on the internet by Michał Materla. The Szczuplak brothers cooperate with the American football team from Szczecin and their truck is always present during the games. On weekdays they can be found at ul. Partyzantów, right behind Galeria Centrum mall, but during weekends their truck is usually parked wherever something interesting is happening in the city. “So far, we are very pleased. If things continue to go as smoothly as now, maybe we will consider expanding our business and we will buy another truck.” – they muse.
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