Benj Scrimgeour: “We’re not trying to change the world, we’re giving people what they want”

What was the idea behind Vinegar Yard?​
If you’re a young chef and you want to open a restaurant, unless you’ve got a cool half million in your back pocket and good business acumen then you’re going to fail, and you’ll be destined to spend your career working for others. What we’re doing is giving chefs the opportunity to concentrate on their kitchen and produce the food they want without worrying about having to pay unsustainable costs and rates. If their concept proves popular, they can look to find a backer.

Before Vinegar Yard you founded Flat Iron Square. Why is the outdoor food court model so appealing?​
When we did Flat Iron Square that early concept of a big open-air bar and street food market hadn’t really been adopted in the UK. I’d spent a lot of time living in Barcelona and I like that style of Mediterranean café and bar. We sold Flat Iron Square and then acquired Vinegar Yard, which we launched with a similar focus, and it’s worked. We’re not trying to change the world here; we’re just trying to give people what they want.

Being an outdoor-focused concept must come with its challenges…​
Yes, but it is critical for our model. We take the rough with the smooth. We put up a stretch tent over the winter, and we know our numbers will be down in those months. But Covid has changed people’s behaviour; they’re more amenable to sitting outside and wearing a coat, and our winters now are up on what they were pre-pandemic. 

Was Flat Iron Square a hard sell in the beginning?​
We had a lot of people tell us that we’d never get people to come. And finding the food traders was a long process. At the beginning we were planning to have slightly larger kitchens and approaching bigger brands, but then the penny dropped, and we realised the key was for the units to be smaller so it could appeal to smaller operators.

You recently added Hackney Bridge food court to your portfolio, how did that opportunity come about?​
It came across our radar a while back and ticked a lot of our boxes. But my first reaction upon seeing the site was that there’s a lot of things not quite right with it, so there were discussions over whether we could invest the time and capital to make the changes we wanted. But we’ve taken the plunge. It’s an exciting area with a great vibe and diverse community, and that presents a lot of opportunity. The site is much bigger than Vinegar Yard – it has artist studios, retail units, and a 300-capacity event space in addition to the Hackney Bridge kitchens, and there’s also a big restaurant site. There’s a lot within it, and it has a lively lunchtime trade.

Are you looking for new street food traders to take up residence at Hackney Bridge?​
We’ve inherited a lot of traders who will be staying. We’re going to create a wonderful garden space overlooking the river with a travelling bar, and then have the traders inside. We will be looking to have guest operators in the garden once it’s completed.

Is there a process or formula you follow when looking for street food traders?​
There’s no formula, it’s about who’s around and on our radar and whether they fit the space. You’re always going to want certain concepts, such as burgers and pizza, and then it’s looking around at what’s interesting, what’s popular with diners and, most importantly, what has a connection to the area.

As well as Hackney Bridge, you’ve just acquired a new site in Bankside…​
Bankside is a retail-focused space and will feature a flea market – similar to what we have at Vinegar Yard. Retail is another focus of mine. Like hospitality, it’s going through a seriously hard time and isn’t going to get much better. I can only see retail markets like ours’ getting bigger as the rents on the high street remain unattainable.

Are there any plans for an indoor location?​
The topic comes up from time to time, but we need to stick to what we think is a working model, so why change it? We are currently looking at sites that have more covered space, though, but they’re still fundamentally outdoors.

Vinegar Yard is located in London Bridge - https://www.vinegaryard.london​ ​