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.
Fupburger takes over the Earlham Pub in Norwich
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.
"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."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here