Slideshow of the Bun Mobile in Action

Interview with Bun Mobile owners - Christine & Harry Fleming

A Moveable Feast

Those warm pretzels and mustard-smothered hot dogs, synonymous with main streets in Manhattan, are responsible for a building revolution in how we purchase mini feasts here in Australia. With the growing demand on the importance of buying local produce conveniently, at a reasonable price and definitely without substituting on quality, chefs and entrepreneurs in Australia are taking a chunk out of the Big Apple by making their products more mobile.

Originating in Los Angeles, comes the desire for one man, Roy Choi, to sell his Korean-Mexican fusion of food to hoards of hungry Americans. What is the best way to ensure people eat your food? Take it to them, of course. Choi not only served up a product which was pushing culinary boundaries, but also creating new ways in which people access and engage with their food.

Kogi Truck

A quick and lonely lunch break snack rapidly escalated into arguably the most sociable part of a person’s day. No longer are you eating alone – but with thousands of other Tweeters and Facebook users who are uploading photos of their spicy pork tacos and commenting on Choi’s site. Not often would you find that your favourite lunchtime restaurant is in carparks scattered around the city. How do you track it down? Social media, of course.

And it’s the power of social media which is the driving force behind Christine and Harry Fleming’s food truck business in Brisbane. The Bun Mobile has been touring the streets of Brisbane for the past eight weeks and has spent zero dollars on advertising. The combination of their website, updates on Twitter, Foursqaure and Facebook allow their ‘Bunstars’ (customers) to know where they’ll be located for the day. As Christine says, 

“for us, social media is absolutely vital…if we didn’t get on board with social media, we wouldn’t be doing as well as we are doing”. 

The Breakfast Bun

And they are doing well indeed. An average day (3 hours) sees them make anywhere between 80 and 100 orders, often selling to the same people numerous times. In order to keep on top of their social media, they’ve recently hired a social media consultant who advises the couple to regularly update their social media sites (at least twice a day) and to engage with the Bunsters as much as possible. Their proudest moment? 

“When we reached 700 ‘likes’ on Facebook”. (It is currently at 800, at the time of writing).    

In order to legitimately deliver these tasty steamed parcels, they have been granted a Brisbane City Council Food Business License. They are able to park their truck wherever they deem appropriate, but they are very aware of their moral boundaries. Christine said, 

“We are very mindful of restaurants and cafes…so we don’t want to get in their face by parking right out the front of them, unless they ask us”. 

Outside The End bar - West End

Businesses that have filled out application forms for them to park out the front include boutique clothing stores, coffee shops and bars.

The Loading Dock Espresso is one of these, and has been graced by the presence of The Bun Mobile on subsequent occasions. After visiting the Bun Mobile one evening at Kangaroo Point, Ryan, a bartender from The End (a relatively new bar in West End), practically begged them to park outside the bar. On the evening they arrived, cheery punters were bouncing in with the little white hamburger cartons, which never failed to receive a significant number of head-turns to check out their bun of choice. 

The former Customer Engagement Manager for Queensland Health’s IT department could now be described as the face of the growing trend in Australia. Christine says that their inspiration was drawn from their son (also a chef) who let them know what was going on in LA. From there they did their research, chose a product that was, “different, but not too different”. Christine says that they did not want to diverge into a product that would be too dramatic for the Brisbane market.

 “Brisbane really isn’t out there as far as food goes”, 

she says with a sneaky grin. It makes you wonder what else they have up their sleeve for a second truck they are thinking about launching. 

Harry, Christine’s husband, has been working as a chef for 30 years, and the past decade as an executive chef. He appears, by far, to be the most peaceful head chef during a busy service period. 

“Oh, it’s a total different lifestyle…much more relaxed. There’s not the pressure that you find in a normal kitchen.” 

Chicken Bun & the Dessert Bun

Decisions can be tricky, tossing up between a sous vide pork belly with shallots and Hoisin sauce and a chicken breast with coleslaw and mint could easily be the tougher decision of the day. But without fail, ending the evening with the perfect ratio of sweet-to-salty cannot be passed up: the caramel banana with salted peanut praline bun is a definite winner. Especially for those who are beyond the age where they can justify indulging in a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich.