“I’m earning more than I ever have and working fewer days than ever”

Alistair Tressider, The Spitting Pig franchisee for Somerset, gets a grilling on support, starting up and providing great service

When talking about his time as The Spitting Pig’s Somerset franchisee, it’s safe to say Alistair Tressider isn’t telling porkies. He admits to “knowing nothing” when taking on his franchise in 2019 but after extensive training, shadowing fellow franchisees and with The Spitting Pig “looking after all the boring tough stuff” like marketing, advertising and accountancy, Alistair launched the franchise in March 2020.

He now admits to earning more than he ever has while working fewer days than ever. Elaborating on this enviable work-life balance, Alistair explains: “It’s hard work and long days at weekends then lots of time off in the week.”

As well as taking care of marketing, The Spitting Pig head office also finds regular work for its franchisees. Its central sales team will find and book work for franchisees across each exclusive territory. Alistair himself appreciates the extensive support. He says: “We have a guaranteed area, no competition from other franchisees and guaranteed work. The fact that the franchise fee is a percentage of the total job price and not a fixed fee means that it’s in the franchise interest to get us the most money per job.”

Alistair’s time at the UK’s leading hog roast brand has seen him face his fair share of challenges but he has enjoyed all of them. Describing his biggest achievement, Alistair says: “Feeding 2,000 people in a field! Something I never thought I’d do.” He is similarly proud of catering at weddings, he continues: “Looking after one of the biggest parts of the most important days in people’s lives is a huge achievement.”

This responsibility speaks volumes of the trust that customers have in Alistair and The Spitting Pig brand as a whole, and Alistair takes great pride in doing a good job. “Giving people good food and seeing them enjoy that is a pleasure,” he says.

This is something he places great importance on and he believes customer service is a key skill any new franchisee must have. He describes the perfect franchisee saying: “Somebody who is customer-focused, proud of their work and wants to please people with the finer details. Customer service is the biggest part of our job from initial contact to customer-facing on the day.”

The future looks (and smells) great for Alistair. “Extremely busy! Work provided by Spitting Pig has exceeded all expectations and there is no sign of it letting up!” he says regarding his business for the rest of the year.