An interview with Ed Halls - founder of Griddle & Shake Nottingham

We sat down with Ed Halls - the founder of Griddle & Shake - to find out what inspired him to establish the restaurant in Nottingham, and to learn about its philosophy, future plans and much more. What inspired you to establish Griddle & Shake? I was inspired to start Griddle & Shake after deciding to pursue my passion for high-quality burgers. I sought to improve and revolutionise the ‘better burger’ market and its standards, and with my extensive experience from working as a chef, I was confident I had the skills to do this. Why did you choose to open the restaurant in Nottingham? I chose to open Griddle & Shake in Nottingham because of its vibrancy as a city and its foodie following. The city boasts great public transport, making travel around Nottingham extremely easy. Nottingham also leads the way when it comes to city shopping. There are many unique retailers that can be found here, as well as big brands in the shopping centres, meaning that the city is a great spot for a quality eatery. Tell us a little bit about the philosophy behind your business. Griddle & Shake is a values led business with excellence, fun, entrepreneurship, honesty, empowerment and social responsibility at the heart of our business philosophy. Here at Griddle & Shake, we believe the way to a customer’s heart is choice, value and provenance, which is what we commit to.  Our 'build your own burger' concept allows guests to tailor their meal, and engage with the process. You can see what you’re getting, and not just have to choose from a list. Some restaurants’ offerings can lack choice for those with vegan, gluten free and vegetarian requirements but not at Griddle & Shake. We are the first UK restaurant to serve the tempeh burger, a completely vegan burger which tastes delicious as well as offering gluten free options. All the beef, chicken and pulled pork on the menu is Red Tractor approved and all of our packaging from Vegware is fully compostable. What’s different between Griddle & Shake and other restaurants? We provide guests with a great choice of food, and great fun too. Griddle & Shake has a cool, buzzing atmosphere and we go the extra mile to give back to the community we operate in -  our interior was designed completely by a local business and all the fresh fruit and vegetables we use are provided by a local supplier too. Our guests are at the heart of the business and we offer vegan tempeh burgers and dairy free ice cream shakes. We also do not charge more for dietary requirements and intolerances; we have built this into our price structure. The environment is also an extremely important topic close to our hearts here at Griddle & Shake. We are proud that our beef, chicken and pulled pork all has the Red Tractor seal of approval so customers can be sure that the ingredients come from a trustworthy source. We encourage our staff to be authentic, and feel good about their experience working at Griddle & Shake. We train our staff fully to ensure that they love the brand as much as the guests do, so they fully understand our concept, menu and its offerings. We go above and beyond when it comes to treating our guests, and our most popular deal is the unlimited nights. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, diners can enjoy unlimited burgers, toppings, chicken wings and skin-on-fries for just £12. Any future plans for the restaurant that you can reveal to our readers? Griddle & Shake plans to open more restaurants across the country. The locations are yet confirmed so watch this space. Excitingly, we are also launching a brand new dessert bar for those with a sweet tooth. Just a few of the offerings on the menu include, hot golden waffles cooked to order, chocolate fudge brownies, raspberry and white chocolate blondies, and award-winning Yarde farm ice cream. Guests will be able to eat these desserts, as well as ordering an ice cream to go in the approaching summer months. Griddle & Shake is located right next to a tram line - where else would you recommend visiting in the city before or after a meal? Nottingham is great for shopping, the intu Victoria Centre always has a buzzing atmosphere and there is a great variety of shops there too. You could always catch a movie at Cineworld, or take advantage of the warmer weather in one of the dotted around county parks. Students enjoy the buzzing night life here in Nottingham, but there’s also great productions at the Nottingham Playhouse and Concert Hall if you’re looking to add a little culture to your evening. Or, if you’re a footie fan, then you could enjoy a trip down to the City Ground Stadium to watch Nottingham Forest play a game.

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Griddle & Shake is open Monday to Sunday from 11:30am till 11pm (Monday-Saturday), and from 11:30am till 5pm on Sundays. Find out more about Griddle & shake here. Or to find out what we thought about our meal at Griddle & Shake read our recent review of here.