“Our Gift Shop, Cook Shop and Interior Design departments are still open and operating as normal, as well as our very popular Christmas shop; however, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting operational challenges and restrictions placed upon the working procedures within restaurants, we made the very difficult decision to close our restaurant and adapt it into “Alexanders Food Hall”, a new artisan food hall which opened on 3rd September 2020” explained Suzanne.

“Food has always been an important part of the Alexanders story and closing our restaurant was one of the most difficult decisions we have made as a business, but we believe it was necessary to ensure the survival of the business in these unprecedented times.

Quality Food

“We feel that our new Food Hall is a way of continuing the legacy we have created of serving excellent quality food to our customers and we are delighted that we can continue to produce many of our much loved foods for customers to enjoy at home, for example our homemade breads, scones, soups, salads, cakes, desserts, traybakes and a wide range of delicious take home meals. All homemade from our kitchen to yours.

“As a small business we understand the importance of supporting and encouraging local businesses and producers and therefore our aim through the Food Hall is also to contribute to the success of local food manufacturing businesses and the resulting positive impact this will have on our wider community. Therefore, we  also stock a large range of locally sourced products from across Northern Ireland and Ireland e.g. Muldrews Butchers, Ballylisk Cheese, Burren Balsamics, Abernethy Butter, Orchard Smokehouse, Taste Joy, Corndale Meats, Tom and Ollie, The Yellow Door and Ewings to name just a few.”

Challenges

Did you encounter any challenges in this?

“As expected with starting any new business there are always challenges and learnings along the way,” Suzanne told NR.

“For us, one of our biggest challenges so far has been around quantity and wastage. We produce everything on site, fresh from our kitchen using the best of ingredients. Therefore, it is important we produce the correct quantities each day to minimise waste. This is something we are learning as we go, as we analyse our shopper buying habits throughout the weeks.

“We are so grateful to the many people who have offered their support and advice to us over the last few months. Speaking to local packaging companies, local producers, the Food, Health and Safety team and the Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon Council has really helped us with our transition into this new venture and we are grateful to be able to learn from those who already have experience in this area.”

What was the reaction like to your new offering?

“Overall we have received a great reaction to the new Food Hall. Understandably, some of our regular customers do miss the sit down restaurant but they also understand the reasons for the change and have been very supportive” Suzanne said.

“We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of our amazing, loyal customers who have continued to support us through these difficult times. We really appreciate the positive feedback we have received both in person and online, the feedback from our customers encourages us to keep innovating and adapting to ensure we continue to provide top quality products and the best shopping experience that we can.”

What challenges has the pandemic posed and how have you overcome them?

“Like a lot of businesses, we had to close throughout lockdown for 3 months which has obviously significantly impacted our sales and cash flow within the business. There have also been financial implications as we invested in installing protective screens at all pay points and sanitising stations throughout the store.

“Since re-opening, the footfall within our shop has decreased and sadly we have had to cancel some of the biggest events we have in the year due to covid-19 regulations which will no doubt have an impact on the business this Christmas. We recently launched our new website which we update regularly with new products. We hope this move to online will help us to address the challenges we face around footfall in store. You can check it out by visiting www.alexandersgiftstore.com.

How have you encouraged social distancing within your store?

“The safety of our staff and customers is of utmost importance to us and so we have put in place all safety measures required,” explained Suzanne.

“We are very fortunate that we have a large store which makes social distancing possible and we encourage all staff and customers to following the social distancing guidelines. Our staff are working within bubbles to ensure we minimise any risk. We also have hand sanitiser at the entrance/exit and throughout the store. All staff are required to wear protective face coverings and we ask all customers to do the same unless medically exempt.”

What are your plans for the future?

“The future for Alexanders as we see it will be to evolve and change and constantly strive to create ‘experiences’ for our customers within the Gift Shop, Food Hall and Interior Design.

“We need to invest in product and service innovation and so we are working on areas like bringing in more Irish food suppliers to support other local businesses, constantly changing store products and displays, changing ways of communicating with our customers, sourcing relevant good quality products at suitable prices and listening to ideas from both our staff and our customers.

“We believe that small family businesses still play a vitally important role within the business community, but we know we must provide excellent customer service and control the ever-rising costs in order to survive and thrive.

“We now offer a hamper service within our Food Hall and we already have lots of pre-made hampers that customers can browse. We can also make bespoke hampers for our customers if they would like to select their own items and create a unique hamper to give to someone special.

“We are currently working on a Click and Collect service for freshly prepared, cook at home food packs for Sunday lunch, weekend food, afternoon tea and BBQ packs. Customers will also be able to order special cakes and family sized dishes for special events and occasions.”

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Located in a retail complex on the Rathgael Road in Bangor, Grill’d is the go-to takeaway of choice for 18-30 year olds since opening last year. The brainchild of two entrepreneurial Bangor brothers Gavin Stevenson and Chris Ng, in just under 18 months, the brand has received almost cult like status among its young, trendy followers.

The concept for Grill’d is simple – chicken breast, thigh or wings, marinated in any one of the brand’s eight signature sauces and served by itself, or on a bun, pitta or wrap. The menu is streamlined but customers can fully customise their order by adding a range of toppings and sides.

“The takeaway industry in Northern Ireland is quite similar across the board. We wanted to bring a product to the market that was completely different,” says owner Chris.

What sets Grill’d apart is a threefold formula, bringing together the freshly made product using quality ingredients, presented in sleek and sustainable packaging, finished off with excellent customer service.

“I come from a customer service background and the customer journey was always something that was very important to me when we were setting up Grill’d,” says Chris. “We wanted to create more of a customer experience rather than a quick interaction without any personality.”

Chris and Gavin first floated the idea of going into business together when their parents retired 10 years ago and were seeking a buyer for the family’s takeaway business. Having grown up in the industry, the brothers were keen to follow in their parents’ footsteps and carry on the business for the next generation.

“Our parents didn’t encourage that idea as they felt we didn’t have the relevant experience at that time and they also didn’t want us to be locked into long hours and all the responsibility that comes with running your own business at that age.”

Instead, Gavin moved to London and worked his way up to a head chef position before taking on the role of regional manager for a catering company which supplied local schools. Meanwhile Chris relocated to Edinburgh and spent a lot of his spare time travelling Asia and North America.

“During that period we really got to broaden our culinary horizons, experiencing new tastes from all around the world,” says Chris. “Within my family food is at the forefront of what we enjoy and if we aren’t buying it, we’re making it ourselves.”

In 2018 Chris developed an early prototype for a food-to-go concept which prompted Gavin to think further into ideas and move home from London. Together with their father, the family launched Grill’d.

“We weren’t too sure how people would receive us and respond to the product because no one really in the takeaway market in Northern Ireland had taken the leap to try and bring something different, well not in a small town like Bangor anyway. Initially we got a lot of organic footfall from our location beside the Spar and it just grew from there.”

Customers have also helped to get the word out by posting photographs of their meal on social media, in particular Instagram.  Customers had also been receptive to competitions ran regularly on Facebook.

“Our product is very instagrammable,” says Chris. “It’s become a bit of a trend to get a Grill’d, certainly among a certain demographic.”

Part of what makes the product so attractive is the packaging. Prior to launching, Chris and Gavin visited China to personally design and create what would become their takeaway boxes. The packaging is also fully recyclable, something which again is popular with the brand’s target market.

Finding the right staff has also been instrumental to driving the business forward and encouraging brand loyalty.

“Initially when we bring people into the company we try to put it out there vocally that there are three very important elements to our business,” says Chris. “It’s about transferring our passion for the product to them. Once the new staff come in and see other staff being as passionate as us then they tend to follow suit.

“We also have a great rapport with our customers and there’s lots of laughs with it being an open kitchen. Our customers come in on a weekly basis and over time that relationship builds up; they’re interested to find out how we’re doing and we’re interested to see how their week is going. It’s a good environment for the customers but it’s also a nice environment to work in.”

While Chris wouldn’t necessarily classify Grill’d as a ‘healthy takeaway’ due to the range of options available on the menu, customers are assured everything is made in-house from high quality ingredients.

“Everything that we sell is fresh, and we buy the best quality ingredients. Customers know when they order from us they’re getting a Grade A product,” he says.

As for the future, the brothers are hoping to bring the Grill’d concept to a high traffic area in Belfast.

“We’ve had proof of concept now and it has given us the confidence to expand into the city.

“It’s the product as a whole; if it was missing any element of the three main things then it wouldn’t function the way it does. No part is more important than the other, all three aspects are what make us what we are at this moment in time.”

The post Grill’d to perfection first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.