Bababoom: ‘People aren’t rebelling against chains, they’re rebelling against bad value’

Going by the calibre of its investor profile, Bababoom has a formidable line-up of backers.

When the kebab-focussed casual dining concept was announced to the industry in 2016, founder Eve Bugler was able to draw on a strong network from her previous life at Nando’s.

Ex-Nando’s CEO David Niven was part of the opening tranche of backers, alongside Wahaca’s Mark Selby, Eren Ali of Las Iguanas and Oakman Inns’ Peter Borg-Neal.

Having established the debut in Battersea Rise, and a follow-up on Islington’s Upper Street, Bugler has expanded her investor pool further still.

New backers include the founder of Songkick, as well as familiar industry names such as former Gourmet Burger Kitchen COO Keith Bird, and Be At One founder Rhys Oldfield.

Oldfield, who left the bar business after its sale to Stonegate, has been particularly useful to Bugler in terms of advice on property, as she seeks to bring the kebab concept to a central London location.

“We want to be the leading quality kebab restaurant”, Bugler tells MCA. “We’ve got two at the moment, we need several more in order to do win the hearts and minds of people. And I think one of the best ways is to actually get people involved.”

When MCA meets Bugler in Battersea Rise the Seedrs campaign is posed to pass the £400,000 target, and a few weeks later is at £860,000.

As well as high profile backers, Bugler is just as grateful for her everyday and employee backers.

“There’s something I personally like about crowdfunding, it’s quite democratic. Anyone can invest. The minimum ticket on ours is £52. And the fact that we’ve had three or four of our team members already investing shows that this is something that’s open to everyone.

“If we go on to become a very successful business, there’ll be people who say, ‘that was a really good decision to invest’. That would make me feel really happy.”

Having come from Nando’s, Bugler admits the first three years of establishing Bababoom, in not the easiest of trading locations, has been tough.

“The bigger we get, the more I’m getting closer to my comfort zone”, she says. “So the start has been the hardest.”

“What’s been great is that we’re making a lot more money now than we’re used to, with a lot less stress.”

Having hustled to build trade, working hard on delivery during quiet lunchtimes for example have helped build incremental sales.

Meanwhile, while Islington has also been challenging, Bababoom has outlasted various bigger operators on the stretch of north London, including Corbin & King’s Bellanger and Salt Yard’s Le Coq.

“Now we’re not only surviving, we’re thriving, which is excellent”, she says.

After being open 15 months, Islington is at the sales level it took Battersea nearly three years to.

And in terms of its product, Bugler sees the kebab as ripe for Bababoom to take national, in a way that happened with burgers and pizza.

“You look at the white space and you go, what’s happened in burgers and in pizzas, somebody going to do it in kebabs. I hope it’s us.”

While German Doner Kebab (GDK) is expanding fast, its QSR model and donner kebab focus is in contrast to Bababoom’s contemporary Middle Eastern-inspired full-service dining experience.

With a core product made up of grilled meat, flat bread and salad, she says it’s a healthy option with a regular use case, while two out of five mains or vegan.

A keen competitive runner, Bugler even swears by her kebabs while marathon training.

“I’m probably only going to go out for a burger or pizza two or three times a month, whereas this works for a lot of occasions and hits a lot of different needs.

“The vegan thing is great, but it’s not forced. It’s a happy accident of Middle East and flavours and ingredients.”

She sees Bababoom as having potential for 20 sites, yet with many forecasting the end of the branded rollout, is this a risky approach right now?

“I didn’t think people are rebelling against chains, I think they’re rebelling against bad value,” she says.

Consumers are looking for brands “with heart”, she adds, referencing Nando’s again, while initiatives such as the kebab chase, with a free kebab offered to people running between the two shops, create community.

“Let’s create a point of difference, let’s create something that people actually care about.

“If we keep doing kebabs in a different way, and keep on trying to evolve and think of ways to stay exciting and original, then I don’t think we’ll fall into that sad chain category.”