Branding is way more than a logo or a slogan – it is everything you do. From paying people on time to how you talk to someone who comes up to your stall, every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to champion your brand.

<aside> ❓ What's a unique selling point (USP) and why does it matter?

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Your USP is what differentiates you from your competition. Think about how many burger places there our in London and think about the ones that are really successful.

The successful brands are those that stand for something and you can describe to someone.

Answer these questions:

Case Study: Pokē

Pokē was founded by Guy Jackson and Celia Farrar in 2015. Pokē (pronounced poh-Kay) is a Hawaiian dish compromising of rice, raw fish and other toppings and had never been really seen before in London. Guy and Celia started with KERB and before long they were doing pop ups in Selfridges, featured in UK newspapers and magazine and released a cookbook. You can now find Celia at Polu Pokē, by Liverpool Street or Fitzrovia, Guy runs a design studio with his wife, Ella, called Dapple, and we’ll come back to that in a bit!

Here are Guy’s 10 top tips to making your brand stand out. And remember, branding is more than just a logo.

  1. Food – food is number ONE. It has to be delicious. You need to be obsessed with your food and what makes it special. As your business grows many things will change, from your staff to your logos to your locations. One thing that should stay constant, however, is your food and how delicious it is.
  2. Be the BEST – KERB Alumni BAO is an example of a brand who excelled from the start, from how their stall looked to how their food tasted. They started with excellence and it’s that commitment that helped them succeed and grow. Excellence will help your brand stand out.
  3. Know your market – understand how people may understand or judge your cuisine and market your brand accordingly. Another KERB alumni Club Mexicana made excellent vegan Mexican food and marketed their dishes that would engage the average, meat-eating consumer.
  4. Be the face of your business – Being the owner of a street food business means getting out there, building relationships with customers and traders and having people associate the brand with YOU. It is essential to getting your brand out there and encourages people to support you and make them want to spend their money on your food! Every minute you can be on your stall, be there.
  5. How you arrive – being on time and punctual will make market owners trust you and want you at their market. It doesn’t matter whether you’re serving from a stall or van, just make sure arrive early/on-time and you are as clean and organised as possible. And if you do have a van, make it part of your branding – it’s a blank canvas so make it stand out.
  6. OWN your product – understand what it is about your product that makes it special and own it. Whether it’s a regional variety of noodles, specialist cooking techniques or a new way of cooking halloumi, understand what separates you from others and ensure that customers can understand this point of difference.
  7. How you serve it – Detail makes the difference in street food and serving your food with style will can give you the edge. If you’re doing BBQ, indulge the customer with every process as if they were in Kansas City, from butchers papers to cutting the meat in front of the customer.
  8. Being yourself – Street food is a place for your personality to shine. Being friendly, talkative and approachable with other traders and customers will take you a long way. You might already have an image of TACO DAVE when you hear that name, his business is basically an extension of his personality. You don’t need to be serious, be considered.