'COVID Took The Wind Out Of Our Sails, But It Made Us Stronger'

Lockdown… it seems like a world away now. The time of endless zoom calls, working from the sofa in your pjs (or your pants). When businesses were forced to close their doors for months on end and uncertainty reigned supreme.

Food and drink businesses were among some of the hardest hit by the restrictions. But while this was an incredibly challenging time, it also spurred on a rush of creativity among many business owners who pivoted, grafted and innovated their way to success.

Crucial to getting back some sort of normality has been the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine. It’s allowed for the easing of restrictions and helped people feel more comfortable getting out and about again. 

Birmingham-based eatery Flamin Patties says the vaccine has had a positive impact on their business, allowing them to get things back on track after covid put plans on hold. 

Known for their freshly-prepared stacked burgers, fried wings, hand-cut fries and loaded shakes, the team at Flamin Patties had been planning to open a city centre restaurant before covid struck. They had a location lined up but this fell through after the introduction of the first lockdown measures. So, like many businesses, they started doing deliveries instead, something that has since become a thriving part of the business..

Flamin Patties

General Manager and Director, Mike Zekarias told us that, in a way, the experience has made them stronger. “It wasn’t easy,” he said. “But it has enabled us to grow our brand. For us to survive that period, which we’re still going through the process of surviving, we had to be flexible and adapt quickly. We got better at communicating with our customers and doing so in a way that met the government requirements.”

Mike told us that one of the things that helped bring back a sense of normality to the restaurant was the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine. When the vaccine was first announced, Mike did have some initial concerns. “At first, we just needed some clarity. Of course with social media and what you were reading and hearing and with things being rolled out so quickly there were a lot of questions being asked. We just had to invest some time in learning about the vaccinations.

“Fortunately we do have family members that work for the NHS. We also have doctors that come in for takeout so they were able to run us through the purpose of the vaccine, how it’s been produced and how it’s definitely for the right reasons. So, that kind of enabled us to reassure our teams.

“It’s worked out even better now because it’s given the customers the confidence to come and eat in the restaurant. It just brought that sense of normality into life.”

Mike has now had the vaccine along with most of his staff and he says the impact on the business has been really positive. He said: “We’re back to normal. We used to be open from 12 until 12, so we were able to capture the lunchtime trade. During covid we weren’t able to do that because most people were working from home. We’ve now restarted opening from 12pm, so we’re now able to cater for the school teachers, the office workers and others in the local area. 

Now, two years after they originally planned, the Flamin Patties team is once again looking to expand and are working towards the second site in Birmingham city centre.

For more information about the covid-19 vaccine please visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/