Tiger Bites - who won the backing of Deliveroo’s CEO and co-founder Will Shu this week on BBC’s My Million Pound Menu presented by Fred Sirieix - is now delivering to hungry customers in East London.
The Asian-fusion street food startup has taken up residency at Deliveroo’s delivery-only Editions kitchen in Whitechapel. The food entrepreneurs have their own fully bespoke kitchen, marketing support from Deliveroo and a fleet of riders to bring their amazing meals to even more hungry customers.
Tiger Bites has also started a three-month residency today at Rotate, a new Shoreditch spot.
The brand was founded by good friends Scott De Lima and Lacey Miles in 2017 when it launched at the Old Nun's Head pub in Peckham. The inspiration for Tiger Bites came from when they were travelling in South-East Asia where they discovered bao buns. While they found that bao buns had already made it to the UK, almost all outlets were serving small-sized hirata buns with traditional fillings, such as char sui pork belly.
At the time, Miles was vegan and De Lima wasn't, so they decided to develop a menu in which every single item was available as a meat or vegan option so that nobody would ever eat a meal at Tiger Bites and feel left out by watching their friends eat something that they can't have.
The duo added an American influence to these traditional Asian buns using the larger sized gua bao to pack in a whole chicken-thigh or vegan chick'n patty, sometimes even two, accompanied with various innovative fusion fillings such as the Peanut Butter & Jelly. This exciting take on the old lunchbox favourite has been one of their best sellers since its debut on the menu.
Another American-influenced dish available are the 'Tiger Bites' - bite size pieces of popcorn chicken or vegan chick'n, smothered in a homemade sriracha infused maple syrup.
The pair have progressed securing their first permanent contract at Birthdays in Dalston and spent summer 2018 serving music and food festivals such as Lovebox and BBC Good Food. Now they have joined Deliveroo Editions.
At a time when the restaurant industry is under pressure, Editions helps restaurants expand and prove their business model, whilst avoiding the huge costs of opening a bricks & mortar site on the high street - which can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Tiger Bites joins successful food entrepreneurs, independents and established restaurants who are growing into new areas and reaching more customers through Deliveroo Editions.
Founder and CEO of Deliveroo Will Shu said, ‘I’m really excited that we are helping some of the UK’s best up-and-coming chefs take the next step in their journeys.
‘Food is my number one passion and it’s our mission at Deliveroo to bring people amazing meals from the best local restaurants. That’s why Tiger Bites are so exciting, and I’m really pleased to give them the space to grow their business and bring great food to more people, helping them on their journey to opening a bricks and mortar restaurant.’
De Lima said, “Opening a Tiger Bites restaurant is our dream so we were really excited to take part in Million Pound Menu. By moving into our own kitchen in Deliveroo Editions we will be able to grow our business and take the next step towards making that dream a reality.
'It can be tough taking the next step in this industry, especially with the huge up-front costs of fitting and opening a restaurant, but delivery means more people can try our baos letting the food speak for itself. This is only the start for Tiger Bites and we can’t wait until every home in the UK is craving our Peanut Butter Jelly Chicken Bao.”
Last year Deliveroo launched its ‘Pop-ups’ initiative, giving the best street food startups trials at Editions sites with the chance of becoming a permanent Deliveroo partner. Through the programme, Deliveroo gives popular street food vendors a 12 week slot at an Editions kitchen.
During this time they are supported by Deliveroo - its scale and expertise helping budding new chefs reach new customers, improve their menus and use top of the range kitchens. At the end of the residency, the most popular brands - as decided by customers - are given the chance to become a full-time partner.
