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Pop-ups have become integral to Seattle’s food scene, a way for up-and-coming chefs to experiment with dishes and build fan bases without having to take on the risks and stresses that come with a more permanent space — or raise the funds needed to secure a lease.
But the pop-up life isn’t for everyone. Pop-up chefs are perpetually mobile ― cooking from home and/or commissary kitchens to serve diners at farmers markets, cafes, and bars. To find out what it’s like to run a pop-up, and how chefs have turned these projects into celebrated, fully fledged restaurants and bakeries, we reached out to six of Seattle’s most prominent current and former pop-up operators to find out what it takes to make it, and what advice they have for anyone interested in taking their home cooking to the streets.
Ben’s Bread Co., Ben and Megan Campbell
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Last year Ben’s Bread turned from a pop-up into a line-worthy bakery on Phinney Ridge. Ben Campbell is a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the category of Best Baker or Pastry Chef.
Eater: How’d you get started?
Ben and Megan: Ben was working in restaurants and got the opportunity to start a bread program (despite no professional bread experience). He developed the program, and restaurant customers started asking to buy the loaves. Megan was working in marketing at the time, so she knew how to develop an e-commerce site and maintain an email subscriber list. This wasn’t something either of us imagined doing when we were younger. At all.
What was your greatest challenge as a pop-up?
Finding kitchen space with room for a bread oven, securing and storing product/inventory, and keeping our customer base engaged by giving them a reason to come back week after week. And most importantly, making it easy for customers to purchase from us.
How’s the transition to a permanent location?
It’s definitely different. We had to come up with an everyday menu when we were used to doing a brand-new menu every pop-up. I think we’ve struck a pretty good balance of reliability — aka breakfast sandwiches every day — and still having fun with our menu with lunch specials that change weekly, seasonal fruits on our brioche Danish, and daily bread specials.
How do you define success as a pop-up? Is it too narrowly defined by getting a “real” restaurant?
Yes, completely. Our brick-and-mortar concept happened because we got a unique opportunity to sign onto a space situated in the perfect neighborhood with great neighbors where we knew the landlord. We’d alternatively envisioned other routes to a full-time business that didn’t involve a retail storefront at all.
What advice would you give a prospective pop-upper?
- Start small. Pick a thing you think you can execute at a high level and just do that. You can always add things later.
- Be consistent. Doesn’t matter if it’s once a week, once a month, whatever. But be there in a way that customers can predict and count on.
- Collaborate! You have way more fun working with others, but you get to tap into their followers and their audience. Win-win.
- I think what’ll make or break you is having a clear vision of what you’re hoping to do and the food you want to put out. If you can’t explain it, you can’t expect anyone to get it. Stay focused, be consistent, and don’t be afraid to pivot.
Ba + Mẹ, Lisa Bi
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Lisa Bi recently moved from the Atlanta area to Seattle, bringing her acclaimed pop-up with her.
Eater: How’d you get started?
Lisa Bi: I was a paramedic in the Clayton County Fire Department. I started to see more Vietnamese patients, which made me more aware of my parents’ limited time on this earth. We had a complicated relationship, and I felt now was the time to forgive, practice understanding, and reconnect after not speaking for a while. I knew food is a universally understood language so I started to cook them Vietnamese food for dinner. The more I did it, the more I realized I had a real knack and passion for this path. I reached out to a friend who was working for a pop-up, and she hooked me up with some chefs. I began to work for them and then created my own pop-up in Atlanta.
What’s been your greatest challenge as a pop-up?
Choosing items on my menu. Though I was having fun, my menu would constantly change, which is generally good, but bad for me because it was hard to keep the quality consistent. Oh, and being on time. I was trying to do so many pop-ups while working my 24-hour paramedic job that my pop-up suffered a bit. I should’ve done less so I could be on time for the people that cared.
Any plans to open a permanent location?
Maybe one day. I guess in my wildest dreams, I’d like to have a restaurant that’s also part deli/bakery and be a food media chef host/writer/cookbook author. I have a few concepts and supper clubs I’d like to implement in the future that are weirder and not Vietnamese, so... I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m having fun.
How do you define success as a pop-up? Is it too narrowly defined by getting a “real” restaurant?
I think customers, and a few pop-up owners do define success as a restaurant. But I’ve met so many pop-up people, and some like it to just grow a skill, others do it to meet new people and satisfy their soul through feeding them while making extra cash, and a lot don’t care to have a restaurant.
What advice would you give a prospective pop-upper?
- Help out other pop-up entrepreneurs and see if you truly want to do it yourself to understand the logistics of it.
- Use what you’ve got and spend minimally. Don’t buy a bunch of equipment and Cambros just yet. Make a menu of three to five items with the idea of maybe 15-20 customers for your first few pop-ups.
- Have a niche and a purpose. Ask yourself why you want to do a pop-up. If you make no money, would it still be worth it?
- Have fun; you will make so many mistakes. Be kind to yourself and reevaluate your finances and progress monthly.
Amone, Boby Pradachith
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Pradachith is the son of Seng Luangrath, who owns the celebrated Laotian restaurant Thip Khao in Washington, D.C. He’s an award-winning chef in his own right, and recently brought his pop-up with him to Seattle.
Eater: How’d you get started?
Boby Pradachith: I started the Amone pop-up in 2015 in Washington, D.C., where I’m from, but it happened when it was possible to operate [in] my family’s restaurants. It was an outlet to express my Lao food culture in a first-generation perspective.
What’s been your greatest challenge as a pop-up?
The greatest challenge was trying to establish a trust with the Seattle community to check out what I was doing. I’d say that I’m incredibly grateful to have known a few friends in the restaurant scene here to help me settle in and offer their resources.
Any plans to open a permanent location?
Short answer, yes but not immediately. I want to take this time to continue growing the brand and discover what Amone’s true identity wants to become. I also opened five restaurant concepts with my family within the last 10 years so I want to take time to reflect and work towards my own project.
How do you define success as a pop-up? Is it too narrowly defined by getting a “real” restaurant?
I think there’s a ton of success in the pop-up world because it has to start from somewhere to establish a following with a great story that people can believe in and provide their support to eventually lead to a brick-and-mortar store.
What advice would you give a prospective pop-upper?
Believe in your story and a concept that you feel proud of. This will help you to stay true to yourself and trust the process even when there are moments that feel challenging.
Bakescapade, Karen Sandoval and Cesar Martinez
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Karen Sandoval’s pop-up panadería sells Mexican-style breads and pastries and has appeared at Seattle Restaurant Week and at Lumen Field during a Seahawks game.
Eater: How’d you get started?
Karen Sandoval: I started over two years ago, selling to friends and family. The word spread pretty fast, which led to us growing our customer base, taking preorders, and meeting people to pick up and/or offering delivery. My passion for baking has always been there but I didn’t know where it would take me.
What’s been your greatest challenge as a pop-up?
Washington weather, lol. Seriously though, having a mobile business can be A LOT. Not only do you have to set up and break down everything, but when winter comes around it gets that much more tedious.
Any plans to open a permanent location?
Having worked in both restaurants and bakeries most of my life, the idea of getting a brick-and-mortar wasn’t a dream of mine and knowing what I didn’t want helped me be more open to other possibilities.
How do you define success as a pop-up? Is it too narrowly defined by getting a “real” restaurant?
Brick-and-mortar seems to be number one on everyone’s mind. I think that starting as a pop-up can be a game changer if you really do your due diligence as a business owner. It can humongously cut your initial costs down to start a business. But it’s definitely not for everybody, and that’s okay.
What advice would you give a prospective pop-upper?
Do your research! Go check out other pop-ups, ask them questions. Listen. That’s the easiest way to visually see what kind of set-up you need. Get a better idea of where you might be more successful. And whatever road you decide to take, enjoy it!
Pancita, Janet Becerra
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Janet Becerra’s pop-up Pancita found a permanent home last year when she entered into a partnership with Sarah Penn, the owner of Ravenna restaurant Pair. She’s a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the category of Emerging Chef.
Eater: How’d you get started?
Janet Becerra: As a professional cook, I always dreamed of owning a restaurant but I never thought that pop-ups would be my gateway to that.
What’s been your greatest challenge as a pop-up?
Finding my rhythm as a business. Pop-ups have you hopping from restaurant to restaurant — packing up your entire kitchen every time you do an event. Cooking and running a restaurant service is already difficult, so having to pack up/pack out your restaurant on top of that makes it even more so.
How’s the transition to a permanent location?
I love having a permanent location! Outside of not having to pack in/out every time I want to cook, I love having a spot in the neighborhood where I can be reliable to the regulars who come out to eat my food.
How do you define success as a pop-up? Is it too narrowly defined by getting a “real” restaurant?
Having a restaurant isn’t for everyone, and that’s totally fine. A pop-up can be a successful business in itself and also bring a ton of other great opportunities like private cheffing, catering, teaching classes, content creation (like brand ambassadors), and more.
What advice would you give to a prospective pop-upper?
Have fun and experiment! Pop-ups are perfect for seeing what works logistically for you and to see what is received well.
Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen, Tina Fahnbulleh
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In November, Fahnbulleh opened the brick-and-mortar location of Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen, one of Seattle’s few West African restaurants.
Eater: How’d you get started?
Tina Fahnbulleh: I got started by hosting dinner parties and meal planning for friends. But thinking about it now, it makes so much sense. I was always the one sent to the market to do the food shopping. I hung around the neighborhood food vendors to “help” them in hopes of scoring food as payment for my labor. It all makes sense now.
What’s been your greatest challenge as a pop-up?
Finding venues to sell from and making sure to be able to sell out each occasion.
How is it having a permanent location? How’s the transition?
It’s been a different and extremely difficult transition. I now have to change my marketing strategy to get people to come to me instead of me going to them like before. But on the plus side, I can cook so much more food. I felt limited on what I could do during pop-ups because I had to travel with so much [food and spices], but that’s not the case anymore. I’m looking forward to presenting even more of the traditional foods now.
How do you define success as a pop-up? Is it too narrowly defined by getting a “real” restaurant?
I think both sides can learn from each other. Having been on the pop-up side of things for a long time, I find that I want to keep some of that spark and “surprise” factor in the restaurant. There’ll be the set menu, but I want to keep the “pop-up” side of things and that’s what I’ll be doing with the rotating weekend specials. It’s more exciting for customers and will keep me (and us) from getting bored.
What advice would you give to a prospective pop-upper?
Know your cost and know your audience. This will set you up for success.