Meat in the Middle Paisley

It’s fair to say the opening a premium burger restaurant is a new venture for you, what were both of you doing career-wise before MITM and where did the inspiration come from?

“I spent the last 25 years in pharmaceutical manufacturing where I finished my career as operations leader. Unfortunately we couldn’t compete any longer with Far Eastern competition and the plant was closed. We all knew this would happen and I had plans to ‘flip houses’ not burgers, but this opportunity came along and we went all in.

“Ben worked in financial services but has always had a passion for cooking and very often creates his own recipes. Ben has also worked in hospitality and dreamt of running his own place at some point.

“The way we got into this was by chance as our neighbours were looking at Meat in the Middle Irvine and told us all about it. We were both really excited and the timing (for me) was just right. Ben resigned from his very secure job, I took redundancy and we went on the quest of finding the right location for our own MITM.”

Why did you set up your business in Paisley?

“I lived in Paisley for a few years and found the people to be really friendly and everything I needed was close by. Ben is also from Johnstone and as such knew the area pretty well.

“It’s the country’s largest town and with the council’s vision for the town centre as well as the current numerous events that take place, it made sense to bring this business to Paisley.

“When pulling together the business plan we done our due diligence and researched the market and spoke to lots of people and businesses to determine if there was an opportunity which clearly there is.

“We chose this location as right in the heart of town and the size of the place meant we had lots of opportunity to expand should the need arise. Although we are located in Paisley we manage to supply customers from surrounding areas like Elderslie, Johnstone, Barrhead and Renfrew.

“Having opened three months ago in the middle of lockdown may, to some, be crazy but the support we have had from our customers has been immense. We have managed to create 10 new jobs as well as supporting the government’s Kickstart programme supporting young people back into work.”

What can people expect when they visit Meat in the Middle?

“For us it’s all about quality. Everything we make is freshly prepared with nothing held warm. Our beefburgers are unique to MITM and handmade by our production team using quality meat and ingredients. We use local veg suppliers and wholesalers to ensure we have adequate supplies of quality products.

“Ben and his team pay great attention to detail and ensure that the customer gets what they expect which is wholly reflected in the reviews we have across various platforms. When we first opened we were inundated with orders and really struggled to meet the demand. A few changes to our operating model and kitchen layout has significantly improved our service time.

“Now that the restaurant is open we are able to interact more with our customers and ensure they fully appreciate the whole concept of Build Your Own Burger and some of the constructions have been amazing.”

What’s next for MITM?