Local Business Profile – The Kitchen

The Kitchen
Castle Street,
Omagh
(028) 8225 0905

What inspired you to start your business?
My love for food for one, and my passion for clean eating, and wanting to bring that to Omagh. I see so many people trying to lose weight and going on faddy diets and cutting out different food groups.

What you need to do is eat clean, eat the right fats, avoid refined sugar. I was running Feed Me Fit from home for about a year, and I just thought I need to be able to open the doors to people so they can jut walk in, and eat good food and try new things. And to realise that you can have a sweet treat, without the refined sugar. I have a lot of ideas, and a lot of drive to expand The Kitchen, so watch this space.

What challenges did you face when starting your business?
The biggest challenge was probably how nerve wrecking the process is. I can’t tell you how many sleepless nights I had or how many times I would say to my husband, “I can’t do this, what if it doesn’t work.”

You know it’s a big risk, and you’re taking a financial gamble but I knew in my gut it was a good idea. I had a lot of negativity regarding the location and the idea, but you just have to overcome these things, I knew I had a good idea, and Castle Street felt right.

There are times we do get feedback saying that perhaps we are a little slower than other restaurants. But everything is prepared to order and cooked fresh, nothing is pre bought and nothing is pre prepared. That’s very important to us, that everything is as fresh and as healthy as possible.

What do you look for in a prospective employee?
Somebody with drive, creativity and a bit of fun. All my girls are amazing, they are quick and efficient and they can multi-task. But I don’t think of them as my employees, we’re a team, we’re friends and I couldn’t run The Kitchen without them.

While it’s important to work hard, you need to be laid back and have fun. My team will always go the extra mile to make sure all our customers have the best experience possible.

What advice would you give to others considering starting out in business in Omagh?
Go with your gut and just do it. Take the leap and believe in yourself and your ideas. What have you got to lose?
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