The business built on BACON butties
Bacon Brothers is the iconic burger business that came to fame through the Christchurch Farmers Market. Now owner Troy Bilbrough is using the High Street development as a launchpad to global burger dominance.
It was a childhood dream to fly a plane that eventually led Troy Bilbrough to a career in the burger business. Flying lessons are expensive, so post-Uni he needed a job, and quickly, to pay for them.
He’d noticed the boom in city markets after the quakes had severely damaged the hospitality sector, and that Cantabrians loved a good old bacon buttie. So Troy roped in older brother Jai and younger bro Luke and opened a stall.
It was 2012; Bacon Brothers was on its way to becoming a local legend.
“On the first day we sold out, customers loved how we made the experience of buying a burger amazing,” recalls Troy. “As the weeks went on we hired staff, went to every market in town, did private functions, weddings and catering.
“Once I graduated from flying school I decided to open a burger bar and fly the grill instead of planes!”
Troy still remembers when Shane, their very first customer at the market, grabbed a burger and shook the brothers’ hands. They immediately decided to create a ‘ Shane burger’ in his honour – it comes with a free handshake, even to this day. And Shane is still a regular customer every weekend (except when the Crusaders or All Blacks are playing an away game).
“It’s the loyal customers that make the long hours and hard work at Bacon Brothers worthwhile,” says Troy.
He says the whole business experience has taught him how important it is to offer customers an “amazing experience”.
“If you don't make your customer’s day they will just go somewhere else. Customer experience is our number one priority and amazing food our next priority!”
So how did Bacon Brothers transition from selling burgers from the back of a ute at the market to a fully licensed restaurant in the recently revamped High Street?
The developer was obviously impressed by their food, as it was him who made the suggestion.
“Our first challenge was to complete the build, which we mostly did ourselves,” says Troy.
“We’d just head down to Bunnings and do a bit of Kiwi-style DIY. Our amazing friends helped out with the technical aspects.”
Good mate Andy did the electrical work so now there’s a burger named “Andy the Electrician”. Turns out a lot of helpers had burgers named after them as a thank-you.
Forecasting stock and staffing was an initial challenge when the burger bar opened in (insert month?) 2017 with six staff.
“We were pumped in the first few weeks, so we started hiring and today we have 30 staff,” says Troy. “To get by in the first three months my partner Chloe and I worked 120 hours a week – opening at six am and closing at midnight seven days. Now when I work 40 to 60 hours a week it seems like a holiday!”
Troy admits that the general mood towards the central city wasn’t positive a year ago, and business owners were scared to take a risk on returning. “It was fear of the unknown.” But the bros had belief. “While we were building the burger bar the media were saying that the city was dead and that there were too many restaurants there already.
“We believed that Bacon Bros was unique to all the other offerings around town and at the market our customers were begging us to open up full time. We knew we had a thousand or so loyal customers and wanted to be part of the rebuild so we went ahead.”
The gamble paid off – customers love the fact they’re open seven days, says Troy.
They’ve recently launched Uber Eats, and online ordering is about to go live.
“In business you have to constantly adapt. If you stand still you get left behind.”
Risky business
There is risk in any business decision, but the key, says Troy, is to manage that risk.
“We managed that risk by ensuring we had loyal customers who would follow us to the burger bar.
“Secondly, we only hired the minimum staff needed to fill the roster, that way we wouldn't have a huge overhead if sales were low.
“For the risk of losing key staff, we pay our staff really well and have a great culture. That way our staff don't leave and they become great brand ambassadors, breathing and living happiness.”
His advice for central city start-ups is to focus on creating a unique product and experience, rather than focusing on cutting costs or being the lowest price.
Troy reckons Christchurch is shaping up to be one of the world’s great cities, and there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses to make a difference.
As for Bacon Brothers, the plan is to open a second burger bar at Christchurch’s new Farmers Market Development at the end of 2018.
“Bacon Bros Backpackers and Bacon Bros Barbershops are on the table too; they are still in the idea phase,” says Troy.
“We would also like to build an Auckland and Wellington burger bar, and one day enter Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America.”
From tiny stalls, mighty burger chains grow.