Owner of Dog Days Street Food hopes to inspire other chefs

Jes James runs Dog Days Street Food, which serves up burgers, hotdogs and more from a cafe in Graham Road.

The business started as a pop-up in 2019, when Jes was working as food and catering manager at Morgan Motors.

Jes James is running Dog Days as a zero-waste business (Image: Jes James)

He had previously worked as a chef in five-star hotels in London and Oxford.

“I started the pop-up and went to pubs, to Great Malvern Market - wherever would take me,” said Jes.

“People seemed to enjoy it so when I saw the shop was empty, I hunted down the landlord and got in touch.

“I created Dog Days as a way of turning chef-styled food into street food that everyone can enjoy.”

Everything is cooked to order, so all dietary requirements are catered for and there are gluten-free and vegan options for most dishes.

“I’m also trying to run it as a no-waste business,” said Jes. “If that means we sell out before the end of the night, so be it. That’s how businesses should be run - it means nothing is wasted.

“And everything in the shop has been something before - even the furniture is upcycled.”

Jes said the reception he’s had in Malvern has been “110 times better” than he imagined.

“I was a bit concerned with the age range of Malvern being a bit older, but there’s a younger crowd than I thought,” he said.

“And even the older crowd have got involved, picking up a takeaway on their way to the theatre.”

Jes said he is hoping to inspire other chefs looking to break out on their own.

“I want to show chefs who are maybe feeling a bit disillusioned working for a big chain, that you can do it,” he said.

“I started Dog Days with £2,500, including all my grills and everything - it doesn’t take big numbers to create what you want to create.

“And maybe somewhere down the line, I’d like another chef to come in and take over so I can start another Dog Days - and eventually we can have Dog Days in multiple locations all being run by top chefs.”