– The Street Food Incubator Pilot, funded by West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, is led by Digbeth Dining Club and the Nationwide Association of Caterers 
– The ‘once in a decade’ opportunity to build sector knowledge, skills and experience is open to dining, hospitality, and NTE businesses in the West Midlands
– Application deadline for the street food ‘fast track’ initiative, which will see 36 new traders become ‘industry-ready’, extended to Wednesday 19 November
Thousands of pounds worth of advice, mentoring, and training is being made available for up to 36 new street food traders as part of a new West Midlands business initiative.
The Street Food Incubator Pilot will provide trading opportunities for successful start-ups who complete the programme which is being led by Digbeth Dining Club (DDC) and Nationwide Association of Caterers (NCASS), and is backed by Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
Following an intensive training and development period, successful Street Food Incubator Pilot participants will be given the opportunity to trade at a variety of West Midlands events, armed with the latest industry knowledge and intelligence, aimed at giving their businesses easier access to the industry.
The deadline for applications from ambitious food businesses looking to enter the burgeoning street food market, currently valued at £1.2bn, has been extended to Wednesday 19 November.
Jack Brabant, director of Digbeth Dining Club said: “We’ve had a fantastic number of applicants to the Street Food Incubator Pilot since launching last month.
“We want to ensure that future street food stars from across all seven local authorities in the West Midlands have the opportunity to hear and learn about this fantastic initiative, so we are extending the window for applications.
“This is a once in a decade opportunity for aspiring professionals already active in our incredible dining, hospitality, and NTE ecosystem to work with us to become ‘industry ready’ ahead of trading next year.”
Successful pilot graduates will be given the opportunity to trade at curated DDC events; markets and events across all WMCA areas, as well as community events, festivals, and pop-ups across the region.
They will gain feedback on performance, customer interaction, and operational efficiency and will have full use of DDC’s infrastructure (e.g. pitch space, kitchens, promotional support) throughout the trading phase of the project.
The Street Food Incubator Pilot is part of the Mayor’s Street Markets Catapult which aims to help town and city centre high streets recapture their centuries-old role as the beating heart of the local community with a £300,000 support package to expand the variety of stalls on offer and draw in more shoppers.
The pilot partnership between DDC and NCASS will see all aspects of preparation for trading for pilot participants delivered, including registering a business, insurance, safety management, HR and training through to operational, business and development skills.
The application process for new startups and established businesses located in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton and looking to move or pivot into street food is now open via the NCASS website.
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