Business Love Stories – BOHNS Best Burgers
After time spent travelling Europe and living and working in Canada, Tom Bohn returned to the UK full of dreams and ideas. In 2015, Tom and Jeff started BOHNS Rubs and Spices, and after 3 years of trading, doing fetes and street pop ups, dreams turned to reality when they got together with Tarvinder and Oli and opened the doors to Nottingham based BOHNS Best Burgers (bohnsbestburgers.co.uk) , an independent restaurant with a focus on quality, using fresh ingredients, homemade rubs, spices and sauces, never losing sight of their USP and a focus to deliver great tasting food because "Flavour Never Goes Out of Fashion".
Jeff Neads spared time out of his busy schedule to share their story, why they started, who keeps them going and why they love their business.
What made you set up on your own?
“After time spent travelling Europe and living and working in Canada, Tom, one of the 4 directors of BOHNS Best Burgers, returned to the UK full of ideas and aspirations and felt the only way he could achieve this was setting up his own business.”
Can you remember the moment you decided?
“Tom and I were sitting around my kitchen table one evening and decided it was a ‘now or never’ time to take the plunge and start our own business and after 3 years joined forces with Oliver Bohn and Tarvinder Singh in 2018, with not a lot of cash and a shoestring budget, we opened the doors of BOHNS Best Burgers.”
How would you describe your relationship with your business right now?
“With immense pride and a mix of emotions. When delivering a high-quality product and experience to customers it can be a mix of pleasure and frustration. We have created something, in our opinion, that is superb, and all 4 directors take great pride in what we do. As with other hospitality businesses, we had a great lead up to the Christmas period and now face the next challenge to survival with the energy and the cost-of-living crisis.”
When was it at its worst? What was happening for you then?
“We launched in October 2018 and built our reputation from customer recommendations and sharing on social media, then March 2020, Covid hit, which put us back 2 years. Thankfully we were able to survive with the good grace of our landlord and help from family, friends and government grants, it was tough times, and it wasn’t all plain sailing as with any business you have your ups and downs, but we had built a reputation for quality and even during covid we looked at ways of improving our business and took time to revamp our bar and drinks offering and restaurant menu.”
What advice would you give to another owner who’s feeling disillusioned?
“Keep it fresh and never take your eye of your unique selling point. Don’t cut corners. Who’s your target audience? What standards do you want to maintain? Focus on your USP and then stick to that.”
What keeps you connected to why you started your business in the first place?
“ Colleagues, family, friends, and customers and the knowledge we are providing a quality product and service”
Would you say you love your business? Tell us about something you’ve done to show your business love and nurture your relationship with it.
“ Covid made life difficult and during these times we were supported by family and friends. We created something good and a reputation for quality which we are all are very proud of and want to continue to deliver the best customer dining experience. Being recognised for quality is important and last year BOHNS Best Burgers won Best Burger Bar 2022. We are not qualified chefs, we are enthusiastic cooks” but we all have the same attitude, if its not great don’t do it.
Who or what keeps you going in tough times?
Again it’s the support from family, colleagues, and our local community. We would also like to highlight how the local organisation Nottingham BID offer great help and advice with support and promotion of small independents like ourselves. Throughout the pandemic they were a great source of information and genuinely put the interest of the Nottingham community at the forefront of everything they do.
What do you love about working for yourself?
“ Basically satisfaction, making decisions that affect our lives in one way or another, the fact that you think, sink or swim by your own decision making.”
How seasonal is our business?
“ We have had a steady trade with the lead up to Christmas with January and February being historically quieter months. With the cost-of-living crisis customers will be thinking hard about how they spend their income. We believe customers will be looking to spend on quality, looking for true value for money.”
We’re living in interesting times, what steps are you taking to ensure your future?
“We are constantly evolving our business and by listening to our customers, expanding our menu offering, keeping it fresh with the addition of weekend specials etc., we hope to continue to expand our reputation and reach new customers who will be assured that if you want the best quality and best tasting burgers in Nottingham then the option is BOHNS