The Phat Files - Part 3

The Phat Story

All In

There comes a moment in every business when you have to make a choice.

Keep doing what you're doing...

Or take a deep breath and back yourself.

For us, that moment arrived sooner than we ever expected.

By now, two Phat Vans were operating at full capacity. The kitchen at home had become more like a production unit than a family kitchen. Every available surface seemed to be covered with ingredients, paperwork or packaging, and our driveway had become home to two brightly coloured Phat Vans.

The neighbours had definitely started to notice.

It was obvious we'd outgrown home.

So we made what was probably the biggest decision since starting the business.

We decided to go for it.

Phat Towers

Finding our first business premises was both exciting and terrifying.

This wasn't simply renting a building.

It was committing to a future we hoped would happen.

Once we'd signed the lease, there was no turning back.

The new premises quickly became known as Phat Towers.

Compared to our kitchen table, it felt enormous.

But it also arrived as little more than an empty shell.

There was plenty to do.

We installed ovens.

A walk-in freezer.

Preparation benches.

Workstations.

And, right in the middle, a large central production table that would soon become the heart of the business.

Every pound we invested represented another leap of faith.

If You're Going to Do It...

Do It Properly.

Moving into bigger premises solved one problem.

Now we needed enough business to pay for it.

So we doubled down.

Rather than waiting to see if demand continued to grow, we ordered another three Phat Vans. Orange, Green and because we couldn't think of another colour - Red !

Looking back, it sounds brave.

At the time it felt slightly mad.

But we'd learnt something during those first two years.

Growth rarely waits for you to feel comfortable.

Sometimes you have to build the capacity first and trust yourself to fill it.

We were all in.

Make What You Sell

As the team began to grow, one principle became central to everything we did.

If you're going to sell it... you should have made it.

That simple idea shaped our culture.

Every morning began before dawn.

By 5.30am, the team started arriving.

Sandwiches were freshly made.

Pasties were baked.

Baguettes filled.

Soup prepared.

Everything packaged by hand.

Nothing simply appeared on a shelf.

The people serving customers later that morning had helped prepare the very food they were selling, it was there Phat Van and they would be able to answer every question about the food and feel proud to be part of the Phat family.

It created pride.

Ownership.

Accountability.

And standards that couldn't be achieved any other way.

Those principles still influence how we think today.

Eight O'Clock...

The Best Time of the Day

Around 8am, everything changed.

Freshly loaded, unplug the ovens from the electrical connectors and the Phat Vans rolled out of Phat Towers.

One by one.

Klaxon horns sounding as they headed off around the city.

Before long, those colourful vans had become part of everyday life.

People knew the sound before they saw them.

Customers were already waiting.

Queues formed at regular stops.

Office workers timed their coffee breaks around our arrival.

Customers knew exactly when we'd pull in.

For many people, lunchtime simply meant...

"The Phat Van's here." or Paul became known as 'It's the Phat Man' (clearly needing to go on a diet)

Looking back, it's one of the things we're most proud of.

We weren't just selling lunch.

We'd become part of people's daily routine and fun was always part of the ethos.
Eat Well. Have Fun became our mantra.

Becoming a Family

As more vans joined the fleet, so did more people.

The team continued to grow, and before long seven of us were arriving every morning before sunrise.

There were plenty of laughs.

Plenty of chatter.

And, eventually, Paul found himself heavily outnumbered as the team became almost entirely female! Daily chatter, music and banter, became part of the routine. We were regularly mentioned on local radio and became part of the local fabric.

Every driver treated their van as their own.

Each morning they loaded stock based on what they thought they'd sell.

Every afternoon they counted the cash, unloaded, cleaned, washed and vacuumed their own Phatty before heading home.

There were no shortcuts.

Standards mattered.

Ownership mattered.

A little friendly competition didn't hurt either.

Everyone wanted the smartest van.

The best sales.

The happiest customers.

Looking back, that's when the culture of Phat really began.

Tea First. Everything Else Second.

No matter how busy the day had been, one tradition never changed.

When the vans returned...

The first job wasn't paperwork.

Or counting the money.

Or planning tomorrow.

It was putting the kettle on.

Everyone sat down together for a cup of tea and lunch.

Stories from the day were shared.

Customers were talked about.

Funny moments were relived.

Ideas were born.

It was never planned.

It just became what we did.

Looking back now, those cups of tea probably helped build the culture of the business as much as anything else.

We'd Built Something Special...

Without really noticing, we'd become a proper business.

Five colourful Phat Vans.

A dedicated production kitchen.

A growing team.

Thousands of customers every week.

It felt as though nothing could stop us.

Then one day...

We noticed something different parked at one of our busiest lunchtime stops.

It was black.

Very black.

And it had three familiar letters written across the side.

M&S.

Next time in Part 4...

We'll tell the story of how Marks & Spencer decided to take on a small local business, why copying the vans turned out to be the easy part, and the lesson we learnt about customer loyalty that has stayed with us ever since.