A vegan takeaway based in Glasgow, Scotland, is supporting musicians who lost out on work due to the pandemic.

Launched by a former busker, Trusty Buck’s was destined for the festival season last year, but had to adapt following COVID-19 restrictions.

As a result, Founder Hugh Kearns hired some fellow musicians. Now, business is booming and the region is receiving high demand for its plant-based offerings.

Trusty Buck’s vegan takeaway

Kearns spoke to Glasgow Live about the business’s journey, which soon grew in order to meet the demand for takeaway plant-based fast food.

Since quitting his job at Brewdog, his plan was to take the food truck around British festivals.

When COVID-19 hit, the chef turned his attentions to home deliveries.

Formed in his driveway in 2019, Kearns began tallying orders on Friday and Saturday nights – mounting his mother’s electricity bill as he went.

He told the news outlet: “The food truck was turning into a bit of a struggle. I was constantly working seven days a week and barely turning a profit because we had to stop taking orders so often.”

So, he decided to expand into a spacious commercial kitchen in Dalmarnock with more equipment.

Supporting musicians

As a result of expanding the vegan takeaway, Kearns created 14 new jobs and formed a team of chefs and musicians.

This led him to receive the Young EDGE Award for entrepreneurship from the business organization, Scottish EDGE.

Involving music in the business is part of Kearns’ passion, and he hopes to open a vegan music venue one day.

He added: “The best compliments we get are the ones that say, ‘I’m not vegan, but I’d come back for this food’.

“We’re trying to move past the concept of vegan food just being for vegans, and that has to come with more creativity going into offering exciting dishes where the absence of animal products isn’t really that noticeable”.

This year, Trusty Buck’s hopes to open a sit-in venue, although details are yet to be revealed.

You can find out more about Trusty Buck’s here