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Marc Francis-Baum, bringing New York dining experience to Camden Town |
It’s American food that’s to dine for
Marc Francis-Baum tells Peter Gruner about the slice of Big Apple food culture he has brought to Camden Town – and why it’s a great place to start your day
MEET Marc Francis-Baum. He’s a London comprehensive school drop-out with one GCSE – in art – who admits he spent his formative years “messing about” working in bars.
Today, at 37, he’s part-owner with two colleagues of seven successful bars and restaurants, including the newly opened American-style Diner in Camden Town.
Marc, the son of a fork-lift truck driver from Norwood, south London, is operations manager for the firm Barworks, supervising 250 staff in the seven outlets, which include American diners in Shoreditch and Soho and a pub, the Slaughtered Lamb, in Clerkenwell.
“I didn’t do business studies and I don’t like exams,” he says.
“You could say I was driven by a passion for food. But not any food. I love American deli food. It all stems from regular trips to New York and grabbing a bite to eat while on the go. Everyone says there’s something about the taste of an American hamburger or a hot dog that you don’t get in Britain. It may be the type of meat or the way it is cooked.
“I wanted to import that authentic American New York taste to London. I hope I’ve done that with our three Diners.”
Talking about the catering industry, Marc says he would never suggest young people should not try to get a good education.
But he believes hard work and enthusiasm – particularly enthusiasm – can compensate for a lack of academic qualifications.
“I’m always looking to promote people who exude energy and enjoy the job despite the long hours,” he says.
With his two colleagues he had to beg and borrow cash to set up his first catering outlet, a coffee shop called The Living Room in Soho.
“That first small business was a gamble and we didn’t make a lot of money,” says Marc. “But we proved that we could do it and things snowballed from there.”
Has he made a lot of money? “You don’t make huge sums of cash in this business, but I suppose if we ever decided to sell up our seven outlets might be worth quite a bit.”
Married with three young children, Marc now lives in Buckinghamshire. His favourite meal is breakfast.
“I can eat breakfast all day,” he adds.
“That’s why I like the diner concept.
“We do a wonderful full American breakfast with hash browns, blueberry pancakes, French toast, muffins and various styles of eggs. It would keep you going all day.”
The Camden Town diner employs 20 staff and has a capacity for 140 customers, including groups.
Plans for the future include looking at new sites in Camden, Islington and the West End for more bars and possibly a boutique hotel.
I enjoyed a great-tasting hot dog with fried onions, a side plate of mildly salted sauerkraut and a peppermint tea. Total cost £10.
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