Before PICNIC became an award-winning restaurant, it was a simple online business operating from a garage.
Friends Sam Patterson, 29, and Lauren Wright, 29, are the proud owners of one of the most mouth-watering and Instagrammble restaurants in Liverpool. Not only is everything on the menu delicious and great to look at, but all of it is also healthy and flips the idea of what fast food can be on its head.
Lauren is the brains behind the menu and developed everything you can find in-store and online. Taking classics like loaded fries, shakes and burgers, she gave them their own signature PICNIC twist so eating out finally felt as good as it tastes.
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In August 2017, it was during their joint friend group's holiday they united ideas and realised they were both aiming for the same thing. Sam told the Echo: "We were in the same friendship group for years but when we went to Ibiza at the same, that's where we hit it off and had the idea.
"Neither of us had a business or a background in food or hospitality but we both wanted to start our own businesses; Lauren wanted to start a salad bar business and I wanted a healthy meal prep company. It was the day we got back we basically just went for it.
"We wanted to create somewhere we would eat and there was a lack of healthy fast food in the city so we wanted to create somewhere you could go and be naughty and have all your favourites with a PICNIC twist."
During the early stages, the pals led the business from Lauren's parents' garage. After buying all the kitchen equipment, ingredients and setting up an Instagram page to get their name out there, it was time to get cooking.
Sam said: "[Lauren's parents] weren't keen we'd stolen their garage but they were still really supportive. They said we were mad but they pushed and helped us with everything.
"We actually had no idea what we were doing at the start and we didn't even know how to run a kitchen. It wasn't until we hired a chef that we realised we were doing everything wrong. [Lauren's parents] eventually kicked us out because we were so busy which is how we ended up moving into a proper building."
PICNIC found an even greater audience after brief stints in the Baltic Market and Grand Central Food Bazaar but the continuous orders warranted a venue of its own. In 2019, Sam and Lauren took the business to Smithdown Road where it continues to serve customers on a daily basis.
Shortly after the move, the coronavirus struck a massive blow to the hospitality sector but due to their already established online presence, Sam admitted it was the best thing that could've happened to PICNIC.
He added: "It was a good chance for us to learn how to run a shop, adjust to the new shift in our lives and take it easier than we could've ever had by just doing deliveries instead of managing in-store diners at the same time."
Even after things returned to normal, Sam and Lauren have had their hands kept full with a long list of orders both on-site and ready for delivery, so much so they're already opening a second venue in West Derby at the end of the month.
Sam added: "We had to stop taking orders because we were physically that busy and we couldn't take any more tickets and wait times got up too much, so we decided to open a shop to share the demand."
PICNIC has seen non-stop support from the local community and professionals across the country, with Uber Eats awarding the business as the North West's best restaurant of the year in 2022. They're shortlisted again this year for the award along with the chance of being the best in the nation.
Discussing the praise, Sam said: "To get through again is super motivating, we really want to bring it back home to the north. All the support we get from everyone, including our friends and family is just amazing. They're our biggest lovers and supports and they see how passionate we are."
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