Shai Bar LevEverything Is More Precise and Customer-Oriented“We opened our first branch two years ago on Tchernichovsky Street in Tel Aviv, and the concept was always to keep it secretive and underground, to focus on deliveries and takeaway services and to be constantly on the move between different sites, a kind of ‘secret’ burger.“Since then, our hamburgers – which are made with kosher meat – became famous around the country thanks to the very lengthy smoking process. This is unlike most burgers, which are grilled.“We currently have two branches, one in Ramat Hahayal which we opened in March of last year, when the pandemic began, and one in Ramat Gan, which is also kosher mehadrin, which we only opened in the last few weeks. We opened it because we felt it was important to be able to meet the needs of all of our customers.“Our website has a menu with all the different hamburgers and toppings, so each customer can receive their order either complete or ‘deconstructed,’ to be put together themselves.“Since the pandemic began, our turnover has increased and the number of people we employ has increased sharply. For a long time we worked only with our own delivery people, but two months ago we moved on to Wolt – the popular food delivery service – because we were unable to keep up with the pace of the orders. Unfortunately, as soon as the third lockdown started, we were forced to temporarily discontinue our on-site takeaway service, and now we rely on deliveries alone.“We are planning to open another two branches in the very near future, one in Rishon Lezion and one in the Sharon region. There are a lot of business opportunities at the moment – restaurants that closed their doors and were left with all the equipment and infrastructure needed for a restaurant, which means it’s possible to find very good deals.“The way I see it, this period has a certain charm, because everything has to be more precise and customer-oriented. We are happy to compliment our industry colleagues in the present climate, and it makes us genuinely happy when they are also doing well.”
The writer is the manager and owner of “The Professor – Secret Hamburger.” 43 Habarzel Street,
Tel Aviv, and 77 Bialik Street, Ramat Gan. Tel: 051-505-0145.
“The first thing we did was to set up a website showcasing the products we offer, through which customers can place their orders. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, our delivery staff deliver the goods to collection points around the country. For example, families with children or parents with celiac disease who you can pick up the deliveries from, or shops who saw that there is demand for these products, like the one we work with in Pardes Hanna. We were not sure if it would work initially, but we quickly understood that people are looking to buy fresh products that are delivered to their door, something they can touch and smell. For most of them, the only choice before now was to order frozen and usually mass-produced gluten-free baked goods from the supermarket, so this is a completely different experience for them.
“Obviously there are a number of challenges for a business that was set up during the pandemic, and we are learning as we go. For example, the fact that there is a lack of stability when it comes to orders. Or that during this period, word-of-mouth publicity is less effective, because people are going out less and communicating with each other less. So we are focusing on expanding into new circles and working a lot via Facebook and WhatsApp groups. We believe in the quality of the bakeries we work with and believe that as soon as the pandemic ends, our business will find a solid footing and expand significantly.”
Tel: 052-399-3645, mypips.app/trust.eat
The writer is a business and management consultant.