Appetite for bacon huge
Vegetarians, avert your eyes now – every week, Bacon Bros grills upwards of 250 kilograms of bacon at its central Christchurch eatery.
Troy Bilbrough, founder and one of the ‘‘bros’’, said the business had grown so fast since 2012 they were struggling to keep up with demand.
‘‘We started at the farmers market at Riccarton Bush on Saturday mornings. I got my brothers involved as it was getting more popular,’’ Bilbrough, 28, said as he cooked one of the 1000 eggs the kitchen cracks weekly.
The business took up a prime spot at Little High Eatery on High St when the now-bustling food destination opened in May.
‘‘We have a lot more equipment here; at the market we were just on the back of a truck, so it’s pretty amazing having the whole kitchen.
‘‘There is a lot more going on though. We have sides, beer, wine and cocktails, so there is a lot more to master. We are learning everything as we go, pretty much novices, so we are trying to get better every day.’’
Running the Little High burger bar was like running the market stall twice a day, seven days a week, Bilbrough said, admitting it was a struggle to keep customers happy at the fast-paced food court.
‘‘At the market people don’t mind a bit more of a wait, we normally have about 30 people lining up at once. But at the burger bar, people want faster food because they’re only here for a quick lunch break or dinner, so we’re trying to get the wait times down.’’
Joining Uber Eats in September added to the pressure of turning orders around fast, and with demand through the app expected to increase, Bilbrough said they needed to improve the way they prepared their burgers.
‘‘The orders come in fast, which is great because it means we can get Bacon Bros to people who can’t make it in, but when it’s really busy in here it can get quite challenging,’’ he said.
‘‘Every day we are getting faster and faster. You can only fit so many staff in the kitchen so it’s more about systems and working together.’’
Bacon Bros had grown from five to 30 staff in the last five years, and Bilbrough said becoming a people manager was a crucial part of his role.
‘‘It has been a huge jump and I’m learning a lot about how to manage a team and help them grow.’’
Bilbrough completed his commercial pilot’s licence before starting the eatery, originally to help him pay off his flying debt.
‘‘I decided to take the path of cooking bacon rather than flying. It’s something I want to go back into when I’ve got more time over the next few years, go back into instructing and one day fly for Air New Zealand,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve always followed my heart and done a few other things in my life that have been completely different, but I think it’s important to not focus on just one thing.’’
"Every day we are getting faster and faster. You can only fit so many staff in the kitchen so it's more about systems and working together." Troy Bilbrough, Bacon Bros founder