A Co Down man who opened a business when he was in university, has paid tribute to his team for their dedication.
Ross Morrision, 22, from Downpatrick, owns Wackoz, a street food restaurant and coffee spot, just outside his hometown.
Speaking to Belfast Live about his journey, Ross says after he finished school in 2018, he decided to take a gap year. Four years later, and he is running his own business.
Read more: Downpatrick school's dedication to the community
"During my gap year I worked for my dad in Vivo Extra in Ballynahinch," he added.
"I was supervising there and got a feel for business and how to run a business essentially. From there, I went on to work for my uncle in Vanilla. In 2019 I decided that I was go to university to study business management.
"While there, I got a job at Deanes at Queens in Belfast and learned so much from the team there. Last June, I opened my own business, Wackoz.
"Lockdown had happened and I decided that I would do my own thing. I was 20 when I first opened it, and it was daunting but I have loved the process, it has been great."
Wackoz is a street food restaurant serving gourmet food, in a street food style. Gaining traction from word of mouth, Ross says people have travelled from Dublin to try out their dishes.
Although he is still in the middle of studying, Ross is treating this year at Wackoz as his placement year.
"I wanted something quirky, and something different for Downpatrick," Ross said.
"We have two 20ft containers which have been joined together and turned into a kitchen. Our outdoor seating area is made out of concrete pipes which have been customised. There's another container out the back, which is our indoor seating area.
"There are ten on our team at the moment and we all work brilliant together. It is a great team to be a part of. Going into winter we have closed Tuesday and Wednesday but during the summer we were open seven days a week.
"To our customers, I just want to say a huge thank you to each and every one of them. We couldn't have done this without them."
You can find Wackoz at 38 Belfast Rd, Downpatrick BT309AU.
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