KERB reveals first taste of Seven Dials Market line-up
KERB alumni Club Mexicana, Yum Bun and Square Root
are amongst the inspiring independent female founders to join
13th June, London: London’s leading street food organisation KERB has announced the first taste of the traders taking residency at Seven Dials Market, when it opens in the heart of London this September. The first five to be announced is an all-female founder line-up who have all developed with KERB, including Club Mexicana, Yum Bun, INK, Square Root and Rice Guys, as they all open their first home in central London.
All five businesses are rooted deeply in London street food, with Club Mexicana, Yum Bun and Square Root joining Kerb in the early days, whilst INK and Rice Guys have come through the KERB incubator platform, known as the inKERBator. Each has developed remarkably, garnering cult followings since their respective launches, with Club Mexicana going onto open London’s first vegan pub, The Spread Eagle whilst Square Root Soda was awarded ’Best Drinks Producer’ in the BBC Food and Farming Awards. They will now join KERB on a new step forward as it opens its first bricks-and-mortar site, offering the opportunity for businesses to ‘take flight’ out of conventional pop-up street food markets and further enhance their reputation in a permanent home.
Growing the street food economy is at the core of KERB’s ethos, and Seven Dials Market will be the next step in the development of 26 independent food businesses, providing them with the opportunity to break further into London’s competitive restaurant landscape.
The five female food founders follow in the entrepreneurial footsteps of KERB’s founder Petra Barran, who whipped up all things chocolatein her Choc Star van at London’s weekly street food markets, before setting up the street food organisation in 2012.
KERB Founder, Petra Barran commented:“We areexcited to reveal the first group of Seven Dials Market traders, especiallygiven the history we share and having worked together since they all first hatched. We strive to work closely with our traders, aiming to provide so much more than just a piece of pavement to trade from-Seven Dials Market is our next step in driving forward this industry and giving our street food start-ups a whole new platform on which to thrive.”
Julia Wilkinson, Portfolio & Group Restaurant Strategy Executive at Shaftesbury added:“The announcement of these five emerging traders is an exciting next step for Seven Dials Market, and sets the benchmark for the quality of offering which visitors can expect when the doors open in September. We’re thrilled to give young food and beverage brands the platform to be part of this thriving destination in the heart of London’s West End.”
With all five traders bringing their diverse and progressive offerings to the Market’s main hall in the form of new menu creations and classic dishes, the line-up will also add KERB’s familiar nurturing spirit to the iconic 23,000 sq ft former banana warehouse. Get a flavour for what tastes like London at Seven Dials Market…
● Trailblazing at KERB since 2014, the cult Mexican powerhouse from Meriel Armitage, Club Mexicana, will bring their entirely vegan offering to central London. Critically acclaimed for her innovative approach to Mexican street food, Meriel’s menu will be all about tacos from her signatures; beer battered tofish, jackfruit carnitas, and annatto glazed tempeh, to the ever-popular MFC, Mexican Fried Chick’N burrito.
● Rolling with KERB since both were just one-woman operations, Yum Bunwill be bringing out the coal-fired yakitori grill for some unique steamed buncreations
● Runaway stars of the 2018 inKERBator batch, Rice Guysbuild modern Chinese rice bowls from natural, fresh ingredients bringing fantastic flavour and comfort. Seven Dials Market will be the first site in which they unleash their latest creations, including an iberico pork char-sui over rice
● Known for mixing Asian-inspired flavours with traditional British dishes, fried fish trader INK (who began with KERBin 2014) will betheplace to get your fish and chips in the West End. With fritto misto sharing plates, fresh battered fish, crispy salt and pepper squid and triple cooked chips, your local chippie just won’t cut it anymore.
● Building an alcohol-free “temperance bar” like no other, non-stop fizzy pop venture Square Root (first trading with KERB in 2013)are dedicated to creating botanical and seasonal sodas with unique flavours that are designed to be paired with the food operators at the market.
With more traders to be announced in the lead up to opening, Seven Dials Market is bringing a true taste of London’s many cultures and cuisines under one roof.
Be the first to try exclusive dishes from the highly anticipated Seven Dials Market traders at FESTIVAL 30, a free one-day event being held by Seven Dials to mark the 30th anniversary of the iconic landmark Sundial Pillar. The celebration will take place on Saturday 29 June, 11am – 6pm across the seven interconnecting streets, with traffic free street, live entertainment, music, alfresco dining, theatre, arts and crafts and more.
For more information please contact kerb@wcommunications.co.uk.
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Notes to Editors
About Seven Dials Market:
Opening in London this autumn, Seven Dials Market is KERB’s first permanent home, bringing together an intriguing line-up of independent food businesses, all with roots in London’s streets and markets. The space will celebrate and promotethe vast expression of our city’s many cultures via its glorious array of food and the talents behind it.
Seven Dials Market is an all-day dining destination, catering to visitors from brunch to dinner, while also providing a central London location to buyfrom independent producers, bakersand florists within Seven Dial’s Market’s Cucumber Alley.
Born out of a passion for food and the city, Seven Dials Marketis gunning for Michelin star street food and developingan ecosystem where 26 independent food businesses are given the ingredients to thrive, while occupying the space between street food and the full restaurant experience.
About KERB
KERB is a membership organisation dedicated to the incubation and acceleration of London’s most promisingstreet food businesses. Moving our traders steadily through our ecosystem - from inKERBator to KERB Alumni - is our expertise and focus. Through our nine markets, public events and growing private catering arm, our customers get to enjoy the ever-evolving food, served directly to them, as our traders develop their businesses from the KERB platform.
KERB has been at the helm of the London street food scene since launching in 2012. We have improved the quality of food served on the capital’s streets, legitimised the industry through professionalising its practices, given Londoners something exuberant and independent to sink their teeth into and grown a community of entrepreneurs that are driving real change across the city’s food landscape.
Founded by Petra Barran who began talent spotting and organising traders from her choc-mobile, Choc Star, in 2009. Petra has been credited with being a major driver of the modern-day London street food industry, most recently being named as one of Time Out’s ‘50 Great Londoners’.
About inKERBator
KERB’s inKERBator is a three-month programme designed to give early stage businesses with raw talent but little experience the chance to accelerate their growth. Every quarter, KERB recruit a fresh batch of inKERBators and bring them up to full KERB standards by providing market pitches, mentorship, access to business resources and ongoing feedback through one-to-one sessions and focus groups.
The inKERBator provides a space within which fledgling food businesses can experiment and learn on the job whilst giving Londoners a regular injection of new food to enjoy.
KERB has hatched 240 traders from the programme and supported with 300 jobs across London. Recent inKERBator graduates include Biff’s Jack Shack, Zephyr, Eat Chayand Lords of Poke.
About Seven Dials
Seven Dials is home to 95 shops, including international flagships and concept stores, renowned beauty and grooming salons as well as over 90 vibrant cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs, and a thriving residential community. The area comprises of Monmouth Street, Earlham Street, Neal Street, Shorts Gardens, Neal’s Yard, Endell Street, Shelton Street, Mercer Street and the Seven Dials Sundial Pillar. Combined with two luxury hotels, five theatres, two private members clubs, a large number of apartments and offices, Seven Dials is a unique retail and leisure destination in the heart of London.
About Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury owns and manages a 15.1-acre property portfolio in the liveliest parts of London’s West End. Focused on restaurants, leisure and retail in the highly popular, sought-after and prosperous locations of Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, together with substantial ownerships in East and West Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.
The portfolio comprises 599 shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs, extending to 1.1 million sq. ft. 599 apartments and 0.5 million sq. ft offices. All out properties and closer to the main West End Underground stations, which currently handle c 228m passenger’s p.a., and are within ten minutes’ walk of the two West End transport hubs for the Elizabeth Line, at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street, which projections indicate could be handling 200 million passengers annually.