Pete Hargreaves, who co-owns Patty Freaks – selling burgers with unusual toppings and accompaniments – is also among the raft of restaurateurs who began with a stand at Lichfield Food Festival.
“We took off. We did really well in the street food scene,” he said.
“We owe everything to our beginnings, the people who gave us a chance and helped us out in Lichfield. The foodie scene [here] is second to none.”
Councillor Richard Holland, cabinet member for high street and economic development, put the city’s success down to attracting “big city talent without the big city costs.”
This, he said, meant lower rents than places like Birmingham, but with an affluent catchment area and customers who were willing to travel.
Patty Freaks was among the businesses he cited as an example of “ambitious” independent traders who were able to grow their business and take on physical retail premises.
It was also “wonderful” that a second restaurant in the city had been awarded a Michelin star, Holland added.
“What Liam [Dillon]’s done [at The Boat] is fantastic – he’s got an on-site micro-farm, he’s got livestock, crops, bee hives – a lot of the stuff is ‘farm to table’.
“I’m obviously biased, but there’s just a fantastic vibe about Lichfield.”
Dining and Cooking