Two Rhondda men have opened up a new cafe with a twist in Ynyswen. Steakcoach Breakfast and Grill is a brand new American-style food venue that's situated in a double-decker bus, based in the Abergorki Industrial Estate near Treorchy.
During lockdown, Craig Meredith, 38, and Matthew Jones, 40, came up with the extraordinary idea to turn Craig’s double-decker bus into an US-inspired cafe to bring something truly unique to the Valleys. Between Craig’s work history in the hospitality industry and Matthew’s marketing background, they made the perfect pair to bring this quirky idea into reality.
Craig had originally bought the bus for his previous hospitality business but his original plans to make it into an events bus were cut short due to the pandemic - that was until he met Matthew. He said: "I met Matt two years ago and the dream was always to get the bus open. An opportunity came about and we got a bigger plot on the site, so we decided this was the perfect time to kit out the bus - we’ve ridden the wave of the pandemic, we’re all still here and well, so it’s been a long journey but thankfully we’ve managed to get it open last week."
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He added how he has had the idea to open a business on a double-decker bus for years, with the inspiration coming from a trip away with his partner. He said: "Getting the bus fits my character, as it’s a little bit different. Seven years ago my partner and I visited Liverpool where we saw a chip shop bus up there. It’s so widely different and a huge selling point - being a double-decker bus with a restaurant inside it - there isn't anything like this in the local area. It just reflects who we are as people, we’re unique characters, so why not open a restaurant in a double-decker bus?
"We’re big fans of food in general and the Americans do the grills and steaks really well. We’ve tried to take inspiration from that and give it its own premise. I’m a big fan of the States' cooked breakfast as they do the best ones in the world. So we’re going heavy on the breakfast side of things first and then will serve steaks in the evening later on."
At first, customers can expect the more traditional cuts of steak, such as fillet, rump and sirloin, but more elaborate cuts of meat will be available in the future on a specials menu. Craig says the response from the local community has been fantastic. He added: "It’s gone super well. The initial response tends to be ‘what were you thinking’ but we’ve had a lot of interest and it’s getting busier and busier. "
The pair now work at Steakcoach full-time and have brought in a head chef with over 35 years of experience. Matthew added: "We’ve had really understanding families throughout this and last week our hard work finally came together. We opened last Thursday and it’s going down well, the food is good and you can’t beat the venue. It’s nice to see that plans and dreams have flourished into something that works."
Currently, the upstairs seating area of the double-decker bus is closed, but it’s set to open during the first week of October. The pair also hope to expand the business, with plans for another Steakcoach bus in the future. For more information, click here. To get more What's On stories straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter here.
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