Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Bishop.
Aaron, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my journey in the food industry as a teenager when I worked in my Grandfather’s restaurant. My grandfather, William Branch, was part-owner of the legendary Art’s Seafood, a famous restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, founded in 1954 by Arthur Williamson. Art’s Seafood was a landmark in the city of Cleveland. It was the place to be for good food, good atmosphere, and was a social outlet for Cleveland’s black community. This restaurant was often frequented by local and international celebrities. It was known for its signature recipes including Catfish, Red Snapper, Frog Legs, Roquefort Cheese Salad and southern influenced cuisine. I started off in the kitchen, peeling pounds of shrimp as a teenager. This is where I began to learn the business and developed a passion for the industry.
When I was 20, I took a leap and opened my own brick and mortar restaurant to continue the legacy that was taught to me as a young teen. I struggled to keep the doors open through the recession and the years to follow. After ten years in the game, I ultimately decided to close the doors. That’s when I had the idea to do a mobile set-up. It was a nice spinoff to a brick and mortar, with way less overhead and a great way to use my restaurant experience. I began the first iteration of Aaron Michael’s in 2011 as a concessionist at the Cincinnati Jazz Fest along with several other festivals and events in Ohio. This is when I realized that I really had something that had the potential to grow.
My family and I moved to Denton, Texas in 2015 when my wife was offered a position to teach at the University of North Texas in their Media Arts Department. Texas was the perfect spot to rebuild my mobile set-up, with good weather year-round, Aaron Michael’s really took off. We specialize in festivals, events, catering, farmer’s markets, and more. I’m able to continue the legacy that my grandfather was part of and found a unique way to get the food inspired by Art’s Seafood to a wide array of customers through the mobile and pop-up restaurant strategy.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road isn’t always smooth when running your own mobile business. It’s great being your own boss, but it’s a day in, day out grind. Some days I wake up before the sun comes up to get my stock and prep for the day just to work all day at a venue, festival or event, and then turn around and do the same thing the next day. There have been days when I’ve worked on my truck for 12 plus hours, sometimes even more. Days when I’ve gone off of just two to three hours of sleep. Especially for the larger events, prepping 200 pounds of chicken wings or cutting hundreds of pounds of potatoes for our fresh-cut fries. It’s work. Hard work. But it’s worth it, so I’m not complaining.
There seems to be a misconception that food trucks and mobile businesses are ‘easier’. I would say the opposite, I work more now than I did when I was in corporate America. Except with this, I have a greater sense of freedom and I feel that I’m doing something worthwhile. I know I’m working hard to be able to serve quality food that makes people happy. I feel proud to be able to carry on with my grandfather’s legacy. The smiles I see on my customers faces, the support I get, it makes the early mornings and late nights worth it.
Please tell us about your business.
Aaron Michael’s Concessions specializes in gourmet restaurant quality, Southern-influenced cuisine in a mobile, pop-up environment. My signature dishes included golden fried whole chicken wings, Catfish, Jumbo Shrimp, and fresh-cut Loaded Rosemary Fries. I also include specialty dishes from time to time such as Red Snapper, Whiting Fish, and more. Our dishes are fried in our signature batter, seasoned to perfection. Our slogan is, It’s all in the seasoning. Our fried chicken wings are pretty popular. Customers have told us that they remind them of their grandmother’s chicken wings. I like to think of our food as comfort food, food that takes you back in time. We have hot sauce and BBQ sauce for all our dishes. Our seafood is prepared in a unique way, to give it a golden buttery well-seasoned flavor. We make our own tangy cocktail sauce for our shrimp and tartar sauce for our fish. Our food is made to order, so customers get piping hot, fresh food each time. It’s simply delicious. Using recipes that have stood the test of time.
I specialize in large scale festivals, events, catering, and farmers markets. I am an official vendor at the Dallas Farmers Market on Saturdays and Sundays. I am also a vendor at the Gainesville Farmers Market, Wednesday through Friday. I have also been a vendor at the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival, Taste of Oakcliff, Sabor Latino Festival, Denton Pride Fest, Dallas Greek Picnic, community events such as outdoor movie screenings, and more.
I am most proud to have my family along for the ride. This is a family-owned and operated business. My wife and four kids have been by my side every step of the way. They know the recipes, they help cook and serve the food. It’s a bonding experience for our family. My wife loves working at the front counter, talking to customers, and meeting new people. I do the cooking and the kids help out as much as they like. They also get exposed to an array of businesses, cultures and people at the various events we serve. Often they find other vendor’s kids and are playing outside when we work events. They are learning so much. My daughter was even inspired to start her own business after seeing the success of me as an entrepreneur (quick shoutout, follow my daughter LA aka Little Aaryn’s business page at https://www.instagram.com/stilliriseskincare ). I’m hoping this is something I can pass down to my children if they choose it, or at least set the example that they don’t have to work for someone, but that they can be their boss.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I can’t think of anything I would have done differently. I think every failure, mistake, and restaurant closing has prepared me for where I am today. I have gained invaluable insight and experiences along the way that has equipped me and made me adaptable for almost any event, festival, or arena. I feel that I am on the right path, using my talents to provide a service to people. I feel purposeful and that I’m exactly where I need to be. I feel fortunate to be able to wake up every morning and do what I love while providing for my family. I wouldn’t change that for anything.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 940-489-2406
- Email: aaronmichaels1911@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronmichaelsconcessions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AaronMichaelsConcessions/
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