Burger company moves into Norwich pub after 'bonkers' first year
Fupburger, owned by Tom Shiers (pictured), has secured a residency at The Earlham pub in Norwich, which is undergoing a refurbishment and will reopen in January under new landlady Rose Hanison. Picture: Sonya Duncan - Credit: Archant
The owner of Fupburger has turned his passion project into a full-time job since the first lockdown and is ending a 'life-changing' year on a high after securing a residency at a Norwich pub.
Self-proclaimed burger obsessive Tom Shiers, 41, from Halesworth in Suffolk, launched Fupburger last July at Latitude Festival as he felt he had to travel to London to eat a good burger.
He originally ran it in his spare time while working at a rock 'n' roll haulage company, moving bands such as The Rolling Stones and Metallica across Europe, but earlier this year he was made redundant with all tours cancelled due to coronavirus.
It gave him the push he needed to follow his dream and Fupburger was born, offering beef burgers, a vegan dog and loaded fries, with pop-ups held at various Norwich pubs.
Mr Shiers, who also runs the Fry Up Police Instagram account with 75,000 followers, said: "This year has been crazy, absolutely bonkers and life-changing - I appreciate how lucky I am that something I genuinely love doing is now my full-time job.
"We have honed the skills of making a banging gourmet burger and a lot of people say it is the best they have ever had."
Fupburger was at The Black Horse in Earlham Road every week this summer and Mr Shiers impressed landlady Rose Hanison so much that she invited him to operate out of the kitchen at nearby pub The Earlham, formerly Mr Pickwick's, which she has taken over and it is due to open in January.
In the meantime, Fupburger is offering collection or delivery on Wednesdays to Saturdays, with orders made though the link on the Fupburger Instagram page, and it also has a residency at The Cap pub in Harleston.
Miss Hanison, said: "Local businesses are supporting each other like Tom and I do all over Norwich, which is such a lovely thing to see.
Most Read
- 1 Everything you need to know about the Sweet Briar Road closure
- 2 Norwich cocktail bar and restaurant relaunches with new name and menu
- 3 Sewage seeps through floorboards and blocks sinks in apartment block
- 4 Why NR3 is being dubbed the 'new Shoreditch'
- 5 Supporters' fears that Spurs game at Carrow Road may turn nasty
- 6 Jailed in Norfolk: Drug dealer and man who raped teenage girl
- 7 Riverside pub undergoes £80k refurb in time for summer
- 8 Fire crews attend commercial building blaze near Norwich
- 9 Two men charged in connection with Class A drug dealing in Norwich
- 10 Fashion boutique to shut with FOUR MONTH closing down sale
"It is exciting as The Earlham is the first freehold I've had the lease on and it was really important for me to structure and design this place so it complemented The Black Horse but wasn't the same."