THE health crisis has impacted everything, with businesses being one of the worst hit parts of society.

Just this week, catering brand Upper Crust and department store giant John Lewis have announced huge job cuts. To launch a business in these tumultuous times might seem like madness, but that is exactly what Youtube star Mikey Pearce decided to do.

IT WAS not a conventional launch for the Clean Kitchen Club.

It was never going to be, given the circumstances, but even forgetting the context it was out of the ordinary.

There was no door to fling open for the plant-based burger business; no ribbon to cut or counter to take orders from.

The company is delivery only, serving meat-free meals to households across Sussex.

The Argus:

The idea is the brainchild of YouTube star Mikey Pearce and his childhood friend Abe Garman.

It was triggered by Mikey’s staggering 20kg weight loss, with the 27-year-old finding ditching drink and red meat, alongside a consistent training program, was the most efficient way to shed the pounds.

So, they set out to create a business based around “a healthy, guilt-free burger that would not only taste delicious but also be good for the environment”.

“I have always loved food - maybe a bit too much at times,” he joked.

“I’m on a training regime and traded red meat for alternatives, and it made me feel much less bloated.

“More and more people are willing to try vegan food now, it’s really growing.”

And he said that burger-lovers would not be sacrificing on flavour if they tried making the switch.

He said: “You still get all the flavours, maybe more, even.

“And you don’t have that sluggish feeling afterwards.”

The Argus:

Mikey and Abe were aware of the risks of launching the venture during lockdown but, on June 25, they took the plunge.

Mikey said: “We came up with the idea in lockdown. We wanted to keep our minds busy.

“It’s hard and we have had to stick to government regulations.

“You just don’t know what the future holds with Covid.

“But, our aim was to create something positive in an uncertain time.

“With our business, you can still supply a dining experience for people within their own homes.

Within the first few days of being open, it became clear this was something that Brighton had desperately missed.

Bars and restaurants have been forced to remain shut for than three months under government rules aiming to stop the spread of coronavirus.

They will be allowed to open again tomorrow, so long as each business makes adjustments so customers can adhere to social distancing guidelines.

But the Clean Burger Club has offered an alternative, and business is booming.

Mikey said: “It’s for people who are into good food and positivity.

“And we had a very busy start last weekend, it was pretty hectic.

“It was a learning curve, but very enjoyable and it went pretty smoothly.

“We had an influx of orders.”

The Argus:

A vegan chicken satay burger quickly became a firm favourite, and the business soon sold out.

Mikey said: “The feedback has been incredible. People said they had ordered two days in a row.”

The kitchen had only been open for two days at a time.

Mikey said his business partner, Abe, takes care of the service side of things, while his strengths lie in the marketing side.

This makes sense, with the video blogger boasting almost 400,000 YouTube subscribers and 165,000 followers on Instagram.

Mikey said: “I’m lucky enough to have an audience from YouTube who have been really supportive. It does give you a lift, more people are seeing your products.

“But on YouTube there is quite a small audience demographic, and it’s a completely different market (to Clean Kitchen Club’s target buyers).”

But he has been able to use his influence to contact some high profile customers.

As a lifelong Albion fan, he was chuffed when some of the clubs stars tried the Clean Kitchen Club’s wares.

Being a Brighton boy, the south coast city was always central to Mikey’s plans.

He said: “I love this city, and it’s great to start a business here.

“Brighton is a great community, I was brought up here, and it also has a great vegan community.

“I look forward to being a part of that.”

Despite only launching last weekend, Mikey said there are already plans to expand.

The company was contacted by several people who wanted to try one of its burgers, but they lived outside of the “catchment area”.

So, Mikey said there were plans to open a second “dark kitchen”, with the possibility of opening a walk-in site sometime in the near future.

But the rapid expansion plans do not stop there.

The social media personality also plans to open the brand’s delivery-kitchens across several other major UK cities, including Manchester, Edinburgh and London.

It has been a bright start for the business. And, with big plans for the future now laid out, watch this space.