Walthamstow Dogs Offer Free Hot Dogs to UAL (University of The Arts London) Students!
The pop-up street food venue Walthamstow Dogs collaborated with UAL Halls Life, offering delicious free hot dogs (including vegan options!) to all students.
Located on the campus of UAL Camberwell College of Arts, the event was held exclusively to just UAL students. The incentive of free hot dogs created a sense of appreciation amongst the students, encouraging them to stay engaged and updated with upcoming UAL events and activities!
The spectacular two-hour stall fed as many as 100 students and the inviting aroma from the barbeque made the queue extend till nearly outside the car park! As we queued, we watched the sun drift into the sunset; creating a warm atmosphere amongst the students of UAL. Only being alerted of the event on the same day, students were enthused to get a free lunch in between classes.
Walthamstow Dogs: Behind The Stall
I had the pleasure of interviewing John, the owner of Walthamstow Dogs! Here’s what I gathered:
Starting as a weekend hobby in 2017, John’s small business gained momentum over a couple of weeks. Their first gig was hosted in God’s Own Junkyard in Pillars Brewery, and eventually having sold out multiple pop-up venues John finally decided to quit his job at Amnesty International, and invest more of his time and energy into his newly thriving business.
When it comes to the ‘boss mindset’, John outlined one of many traits he adopts to keep his business viable, such as “anticipating problems and thinking about the needs of others”. This perspective not only provided me with an improved understanding of what it’s like to be a mindful leader in a professional setting but also considering John’s transition from the corporate environment to something more small-scale like owning a hot dog stall!
The immeasurable impact Walthamstow Dogs has had on building community through food and collective eating is largely influenced by the simplicity of their menu. John found that with street food, the trick is to “keep it really simple” and to concentrate on doing one thing well, which guarantees a return from the customers.
Having the creative freedom to execute his ideas was something that John was passionate about, he spoke about the constraints of corporate management and how many of his ideas would be passed along the chain of command and ineffectively disregarded. He added, “I don’t think we’re designed to do office jobs”, which I completely agreed with! John spoke on the differences between working for a corporate company compared to his smaller-scale business, highlighting the immediacy he can approach emerging ideas, such as their merchandising!
“If I have an idea for this business it happens the next day”
The locally sourced materials demonstrate Walthamstow Dog’s steps into sustainability. However, in terms of ‘free-range meat’, the murky misconception that animals can “roam free in fields”, when in fact, the vast majority of animals subject to free-range treatment often lack the minimum welfare standards. How humane can slow-growing pigs be? When ultimately, they all suffer the same impending death – just for a meal’s worth of satisfaction, in exchange for a life. The vegan option was my go-to; providing me with a delicious and cruelty-free option!
Walthamstow Dogs makes a weekly appearance outside the William Morris Gallery on Saturdays’. Go try their vegan hot-dog option!