For the past year, the man behind one of Glasgow’s best love burger joints has ‘jumped through hoops’ as he struggled to keep an enormous secret.
Smokey Trotters Kitchen came from humble beginnings as Robert Lorimer became a regular at the city’s street food markets while also juggling 16-hour shifts in his strenuous day job as a head chef.
An unapologetically indulgent menu of burgers, chicken tenders and all things fried soon amassed a cult following, prompting him to take the plunge and find a permanent home for his fledgling venture within the Barras Market in 2021.
While Robert tells me that the years since have ‘flown in’ for Smokey Trotters, it’s the team’s latest signing that has catapulted them into a whole new league of success.
He said: “Sometime last year, I got an email from someone asking me to come to Hampden Stadium to talk about opening a kiosk at Celtic Park.
“Right up until I walked through the doors, I was sure it was a wind-up, so it was a shock when I asked at the desk and was sent straight through to the meeting.
“They were keen on getting a local Glasgow business into the stadium for the first time and asked if I wanted to go for it.
“I wasn’t allowed to mention a word about it to anyone until we made the official announcement.
“I’m a guy who likes to talk to everyone about everything, so it was absolute torture.”
Sworn to secrecy until this year’s season started, Robert was finally able to share the news that he would be setting up shop at the Jock Stein West Stand Lower at Celtic Park last month.
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The announcement was met with a huge reaction from street food and football fans alike, with Smokey Trotters gaining over 2000 new Instagram followers after just one service at the stadium.
Looking back to the launch which was a year in the making, Robert said: “I do have to run everything by Celtic, but they were really on board on board with letting me change the colour scheme and set up to fit in with Smokey Trotters.
“It’s the first time they’ve done something like this so it’s felt like we’re finding our feet together.
“I’ve never been much of a football fan myself, but when you walk into the stadium that atmosphere is something else.
“On our first day, we had club directors coming down because they could hear the buzz of people lining up for food.
“It was brilliant and we’re so chuffed to be a part of it.”
The menu for Celtic Park is said to have taken months of development in itself, with Robert determined to ensure that the fast-paced setting of a live sports venue won’t see his standards slipping.
After rigorous testing of which street food dishes would last the journey from kiosk to stadium seats, it was decided that hefty grilled cheese toasties and loaded fries laden with pulled pork were up to the job, with plans to introduce their signature burgers and tacos at a later date.
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It’s little wonder that Roberts's attention to detail, hands-on approach and larger-than-life personality which form the foundations of Smokey Trotters caught the eye of the Celtic team.
But, it’s a recent shift into a managerial role which has given him confidence in an ‘elite team’ who can replicate the magic of his 'naughty and bit dirty' creations anywhere in the city.
“Basically, this year I’ve become the kind of person I used to hate’ he jokes, “the lazy executive chef”.
“I’m at my most comfortable in the kitchen, but we wouldn’t have had the same growth if I hadn’t been able to step back and start focusing on things like menu development and costings.
“I’ve seen other chefs who take on more work and stretch themselves too thin to the point where the quality starts to drop.
“That’s not what I’m about.
“It’s important for me to have things running like a well-oiled machine so that you wouldn’t know if I’m in the kitchen or not at any of our locations.
"One guy, Fraser, has been with me since the beginning.
"He used to be front of the house but now works as a chef and does things exactly as I would because he's never known any different.
“Some people have been coming to Smokey Trotters since it started as a pop-up and they know what our burgers should taste like.
As chat turns to exactly why Robert has recruited a suspiciously large group of chefs in the past few months, it transpires that he’s not done keeping secrets just yet.
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Tight-lipped other than to hint that there are more big announcements coming from the Smokey Trotters Kitchen soon, I ask the chef how it feels to have come such a long way from the pop-up circuit.
“To be honest with you,” he said, “I still don’t believe it.
“Just over two years I was asking my boss for a £20 sub because I was skint.
“Now there are nine people working in our London Road location alone.
“I took a punt and risked everything knowing that it could have gone either way.
“I just believed in Smokey Trotters and went with it.
“I’m still doing the same thing now.”
Smokey Trotters Kitchen is located at 223 London Road, Glasgow.
For updates find them on social media here.
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