Simon Whitehead and Kurt Toulson joined forces after working together at a fine dining venue in Jesmond. Their passion for high quality food and sushi inspired them to want to create a food offering that was fun but serious about quality and flavour, which is how Sushi Me Rollin came to fruition.
Sushi Me Rollin were one of the first food operators to open in STACK Newcastle back in August 2018, jumping at the chance to be part of the innovative concept. Simon explained why they felt it suitable to set up their first venture in a shipping container,
‘We loved the whole concept for STACK – to bring independent street food traders together in one place with retail and entertainment. 80% of food businesses fail in the first 3 years so we wanted to give it our best shot and we had confidence STACK would pull in the footfall needed to establish our business.”
Since opening at STACK, Sushi Me Rollin have previously held the coveted number one spot on Trip Advisor and are currently sitting at number six, out of over 950 restaurants in Newcastle, which is an astonishing feat for a casual eatery, demonstrating the quality and popularity of their menu.
Although lockdown came with its challenges, it also opened Simon and Kurt’s eyes to the demand for their food as they started delivering their sushi to the wider region.
Kurt said, ‘Transitioning to a takeaway business during lockdown was a challenge but it also proved we had a hungry audience in North Tyneside – people down at the coast were loving the sushi, which is why we decided to open a restaurant in Whitley Bay.’
Following the successful opening of their second venture in Whitley Bay earlier this month, another opportunity has arose to make their business in Newcastle more permanent, as they confirm they will be leaving STACK to take up premises on Grey Street.
“STACK is a temporary structure so we have always known there would come a time for us to move on, granted this is earlier than anticipated but an opportunity arose that we couldn’t pass up. We are grateful to have been part of STACK and have benefitted hugely from working so closely with the other traders and the STACK team, we really wouldn’t be in the position we are now without STACK.”
Simon and Kurt hope to have their Grey Street venue up and running by the end of the year to provide a larger space for people to enjoy their sushi platters that have become so popular. The menu will offer the same great tasting western take on sushi along with beers and wines to be enjoyed in a casual atmosphere.
Neill Winch CEO of Danieli Group, owners of STACK Newcastle added,
‘Our vision for STACK was to provide small businesses with an opportunity to reach a large audience, therefore we are delighted to see Sushi Me Rollin expand and go on to have their own restaurant in a fantastic location. They will be a huge miss at STACK Newcastle but it paves the way for another business to be nurtured and hopefully go on to the same success from being part of the STACK community.’
STACK Newcastle has several units available to let and any interested traders should get in touch via email on [email protected]
You can follow the journey of Sushi Me Rollin on their Instagram account @sushimerollin.
