Leicester’s Boo reveals secrets behind early success
Earlier last month, newcomers Boo were voted by readers of the Leicester Mercury news as the city’s best burger restaurant.
Having only been open for 3 months, the Halal joint not only triumphed against big boys GBK, Five Guys, Byron and Handmade Burger Co., but did so by a huge margin.
With a massive 42% majority, it wasn’t so much a win as it was a landslide victory.
We caught up with co-founders and brother-in-laws, Arif and Mohammed, to find out not just if they were as surprised by the poll as we were, but also a little more about the secrets behind the sudden rise of the Boo:
- Were you at all expecting to come out on top as comprehensively as you did?
We were confident we would do well but being the new kids on the block and going up against some of Leicester’s favourites like Crafty (non-halal) and well known brands such as Byron, left us expecting to come a little further down the list!
- How did you celebrate after learning of the results of the poll?
We’re quite a busy restaurant so no time to celebrate just yet! However, this is very much a team effort and we couldn’t have achieved this early success without our awesome team and their hard work over the last few months – we’ll celebrate together once we get a breather.
- You have a 4.7/5 rating on Facebook and a 4.5/5 rating on Trip Advisor. Though early days, what do you put this consistency and success down to?
It’s true that it’s early days, but we have spent years researching and perfecting our burgers. We put a lot of care and attention into the ingredients we use – our beef is ground fresh daily, all of our sauces are made in-house and all other ingredients are delivered fresh. So this attention to quality and freshness is something that our customers really appreciate and is coming across in reviews and comments. Everyone involved in the business, from management to the rest of the team believe customer service is as important as our food, so making our customers feel special and providing a personal touch is very much part of the experience we want customers to have.
We have spent years researching and perfecting our burgers. We put a lot of care and attention into the ingredients we use…
- What has made your burgers so appealing to so many in Leicester?
In the age of gourmet burger restaurants, we are a refreshing alternative; high quality food served fast, with a genuine smile.
- And what makes your burgers better than your competitors?
We use the best ingredients. For example, our patties are made from Aberdeen Angus Beef; we select specific cuts and we blend in-house. We sear our patties on the griddle to maximise flavour. Our buns are baked to our own unique specification ensuring the best bun to beef ratio, as well as having the right amount of ‘bounce’. The list goes on!
- With such a huge majority, what will you be doing to ensure you stay well ahead of the competition in the long run?
We will focus on consistency – in ingredients, in what we serve, in how we serve it. We also have a few fun additions to our menu coming soon.
- On a personal level, what’s your favourite Boo burger (you can only choose one) and why?
Haystack! Angus beef, cheese, house sauce, gherkins and crispy fried onion strings – simple but beautiful.
- What does Boo mean and who came up with such a catchy name?
Boo, my boo, my love, my happy place – we grew up in the nineties and this word meant all of those things and it’s synonymous with what we are trying to create: a cool urban hangout where you can eat great burgers with great people. Happiness!
Boo is all about community, we have a small charity fund set up which we’ve already started using to help local projects.
- What are your short- and long-term goals; any plans for opening more branches?
Short term: Continue to grow our brand locally. Boo is all about community, we have a small charity fund set up which we’ve already started using to help local projects.Long term: Become UK’s number one burger joint. Yes, we have plans to open more branches in other cities.
