How did you start out?
Vijayakumar: I bumped into Liv [co-founder Olivia Sibony] in Bandipur National Park in south India in 2010. We got on well and became friends really fast. She was a chef and liked the idea of meeting people over food. We shared a love of food and a vision to make dining a more sociable and adventurous experience.
What was your lightbulb moment?
I’d been thinking about that kind of business [where dining was more sociable in a less formal setting] since 2006, when I went to Zanzibar. I was excited by the mix of different cultures there – European, Indian, African. But I was surprised that a lot of restaurants in Zanzibar tend to be American or Italian – not very different from what you see on a UK high street.
But while I was there I visited this place called Two Tables. As the name suggests, it’s two tables in someone’s home where the owner serves traditional Tanzanian food – I loved the intimate experience and wanted to replicate it.
How does Grub Club work?
We connect chefs with unusual places, such as disused tube carriages, and more deprived areas. We also work with a lot of councils that use us for regeneration. For example, we took over the high street in Deptford every Sunday morning for 16 weeks with The Deptford Brunch Club – a pop-up in the middle of Deptford market.
Deptford council put up a big marquee that fitted 30 people for a sit-down meal. It was BYOB [bring your own bottle], but chefs also provided their own mix of cocktails, and it often ran until four or five in the evening. People came back every week and knew everyone else there, so it connected people with their neighbours and their community.
Where’s your favourite place a Grub Club has been held?
One of our customers has a beautiful apartment in St Pancras clock tower. It’s a two-bedroom apartment, and he lists his kitchen and dining room on Grub Club. We connect with local chefs and they put on dinners there. They tend to do residencies, rather than there being a new chef each week.
We also run Christmas Day lunches with Airbnb providing apartments, called Bring your own Christmas. It’s great for international people staying in London over the festive period. Christmas Day dinners suck when you’re not at home with your family – your only option can be a restaurant that’s soulless, and food that’s not great. We make Christmas Day fun with a group of strangers.
What has been the biggest struggle in your business?
Growing the business while also trying to fundraise has been challenging. Fundraising is a full-time role and always takes much longer than you think. We could have managed this better through building relationships with investors over a longer window.
Are there any well-known restaurants that started with you?
United Ramen, an east Asian restaurant in Islington, started by running pop-ups with us. They used all of the data collected from our data analysis platform to set up and run their own restaurant. People who come to Grub Clubs love to feel a part of a restaurant’s story. They can say they went to a restaurant before it was one – it gives them a sense of ownership.
What’s your proudest achievement at Grub Club?
I’m most proud about the little things – a lot of chefs have contacted us to thank us for getting them started. One of our chefs used to be on the dole, then he started doing events with us. He eventually set up a beautiful pop-up for two weeks in a restaurant in London. And recently a cafe owner sent an email to say thanks for helping them keep their business afloat for six months.
What are your plans for the future of the business?
We have just closed our funding round, so we are excited to be starting on the next part of our journey armed with more resources. Also, we will soon be launching a new website along with an app. We have learned a lot over the last two years and have a better idea of what our users are looking for. Plus we’re running paid advertising campaigns over the coming months, which is all very exciting as we have never used paid advertising before.
What would your advice be to aspiring entrepreneurs?
I can’t think of a better time to be an entrepreneur. There are so many new opportunities being created and a healthy seed funding market. The skills gained through setting up a business far outweigh the downside of it not succeeding. So I would say to anyone thinking about doing it to just do it.
Siddarth VijayaKumar is the co-founder of Grub Club
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