The owners of popular mobile food business Filbey’s Food Shack have said they would ‘love’ to remain in the hospitality industry after announcing the business will close towards the end of the year.
Jess, Del and Scott said they were still unsure what the future would hold once the food truck stops trading, but that their passion for hospitality remained.
Speaking about the decision, the owners said there had not been one specific factor behind the closure.
‘It’s been a combination of things over the past year,’ they said.
‘Prices are increasing completely across the board.
‘We’ve been putting more and more of our time and energy investing that into all of our events. We’re just not seeing that reflected in what we’re getting out of it.’
They said they were ‘gutted’ to have reached the decision, but ultimately could not justify continuing with a business which was no longer sustainable.
Filbey’s previously operated as a restaurant next to The Creek Inn on Peel’s East Quay before moving into the food truck business.
The owners said the move was initially intended to give them more time with their families and a different way of working.
However, that had become increasingly difficult as they took on more events in an attempt to increase income.
‘When we all stepped out of the restaurant, it was to have a bit more time to ourselves, which we thought we’d get with the food truck,’ they said.
‘But over the past year, we’re not really getting that family time because we’re having to put a lot more time and energy to try and do more events, to try and get more income to try and make it more sustainable, but it has just not worked out that way, unfortunately.’
Despite the difficulties, the owners said the business had been successful and they had done everything they could to make it work.
The announcement prompted an emotional response from customers, something the team said had been ‘quite overwhelming’.
‘It’s been really nice to see because a lot of the responses have been positive, and I do think people understand the reasons behind it,’ they said.
‘We’re just really proud of what we’ve created, and love the fact that people have enjoyed having us around.’
The business will continue trading for the remainder of the year, with the owners encouraging customers to make the most of the time they have left.
Asked what comes next, the response was simply: ‘We don’t really know yet.’
However, hospitality remains firmly on the table.
‘We all love hospitality,’ they said. ‘We all love what we do, obviously, and I think everyone can see that.
‘It would be lovely to stay in hospitality. We’ll see what comes next.’
When announcing the closure, Filbey’s said the cost of produce and ingredients continued to rise, while VAT was putting further pressure on the business.
They thanked customers who had visited the truck, recommended them, booked them for events or supported the business online.