Ask any restaurateur and they’ll likely tell you that launching a food business can be extremely difficult. Thankfully, a new “collaborative restaurant pop-up” business is making it easier for food entrepreneurs to make their mark in Edmonton.
Located in the Hub Cigar building on Whyte Avenue, The Hub was created by Peter Keith and Glendon Tan, who are also co-owners of the local charcuterie and smoked meats company Meuwly’s. The concept, which sees local food businesses share one storefront to build up their concept before setting out on their own, is one that’s been brewing in Keith and Tan’s minds for years. Now veterans of Edmonton’s food scene, they decided to use their experience to help support other businesses by launching The Hub.
”It’s a really difficult industry,” says Keith. “It’s very risky to open a food business. It takes a lot of money, a lot of time and an incredible amount of hard work. This is meant to help reduce the barriers a little bit.”
The pop-up launched in mid-July with two local businesses: Beb’s Bagels, which offers hand-rolled bagels and bagel sandwiches, and Balay Coffee, which serves Filipino coffee, pastries and bites like chicken adobo sandwiches. When hungry guests step inside The Hub, they can order from both businesses at the long counter before taking a load off at one of the many booths and tables that run deep into the back of the room. Both businesses will call The Hub home until the end of summer.
Keith says having a collaborative, incubator-style space like The Hub gives businesses the chance to solidify their concepts, secure more revenue, and grow their customer base, all before taking major steps like getting a loan or signing up for a multi-year storefront lease.
“I think people are hungry, literally, for more great food concepts,” says Keith. “So if we can be a small part of that, if we can make the process work better and help with not just the quantity, but also the quality and the staying power of these food businesses, then I’ll be very happy with that result.”
The Hub marks Balay Coffee’s fourth pop-up instance and the latest step on the team’s journey towards eventually opening a standalone café. For co-owner Mavi Tolentino, building relationships with other entrepreneurs like the team at Beb’s Bagels has been a major benefit of The Hub experience.
“Having other entrepreneurs that are putting (in) the same amount of hours as you, cleaning the same amount as you and thinking about businesses (with) the same mindset as you makes you feel like okay, I’m not alone,” says Tolentino. “There’s a community, like people are hustling and people are making their dreams come true, and just being in the same space as those people is like the key benefit.”
The Hub on Whyte
Strathcona Junction | 10345 82 Ave NW, Edmonton | meuwlys.com/thehub
