Adam Lunt noticed an obvious gap in the market and sought to fill it
Spitroast owner Adam Lunt with restaurant manager Mike Bates (left) and operations manager Andrew Ward (right)(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A local chicken business has won the adoration of casual foodies, national critics, and even found regular custom in a former Liverpool FC star. Spitroast has enjoyed more than a decade of success delivering healthy meals across the region thanks to owner and founder Adam Lunt.
The entrepreneur moved to England at 18-years-old after living in Southern Spain. The concept for Spitroast came as a means to deliver the delicious food he knew and loved to the masses – filling a massive whole in the market.
Adam initially studied an art and design degree in university before turning his hand to handiwork, specifically training to become a joiner. After realising the industry wasn’t in dire need of more apprentices, he was captivated by the aromas wafting from kitchens.
The 38-year-old began working in kitchens as a chef in 2007. He kicked off a career in gastronomy with Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant in Liverpool ONE before hopping to notable competitor Marco Pierre White’s steakhouse and bar.
Working behind the scenes at Liverpool’s top name restaurants is what charged Adam’s dreams of launching a venue he could call is own.
Adam Lunt owner of Spitroast on Smithdown Road(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Adam told the ECHO: “I had an idea to design my own restaurant. I wanted to work with big brands and learn the ins and outs of running a venue. I was involved in new openings a few times – I was part of Jamie Oliver’s Liverpool launch team – but I was very much bottom of the ladder. Working for good people with solid names in the industry taught me a lot.”
The concept for Spitroast was simple – deliver healthy chicken dishes to the masses – yet it was inconceivable to Adam no one was cashing in on the idea. He said: “When I lived in Southern Spain, rotisserie chicken was a staple takeaway.
“So when I came to England I couldn’t understand how no one was offering healthy chicken mains with salad or rice. There was a huge gap in the market I couldn’t wrap my head around.”
Spitroast on Smithdown Road(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Determined to bring a little part of his Spanish youth to Liverpool, Adam launched Spitroast on Smithdown Road in 2014. Although the opening was initially quiet, it wasn’t long before he and the team were batting away customers.
He said: “A lot of our early success was word of mouth. Spitroast wasn’t a huge venue or even a destination restaurant. We were focused entirely on delivering affordable food that people enjoyed. I worked there for 18 months as the manager and a chef with a really great team. It was fun but a lot of work.”
Two years later Adam launched a second site delivering the mouthwatering healthy chicken that had people “travelling from everywhere”. The Crosby site didn’t reinvent the wheel – it simply gave customers a second location to visit.
Spitroast owner Adam Lunt with restaurant manager Mike Bates (left) and operations manager Andrew Ward (right)(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
In 2019, Adam launched Sptiroast’s third site in Ormskirk but this would be severely impacted as a result of the Coronavirus. The venue closed in 2023 with staff relocating to other sites if they were capable of travelling.
Adam said: “The site began really positive but covid stopped us in our tracks and we couldn’t recover. Everything slowed down and it wasn’t able to stand up to everything happening in the world.”
Although the venue came and went, Adam is still proud of everything he achieved with his venture north. He said: “I realy loved the venue but it was just difficult to manage. The other sites were already up and running with really great teams but the Ormskirk site was impacted from the begging.
“The team is so important to me so we moved staff to the other sites instead of losing them. A few left because they couldn’t travel from Ormskirk but I’ve always said it’s the team who makes Spitroast what it is.”
The local chicken chain continued to thrive on Smithdown and Crosby despite this blip in the timeline. Spitroast retained a healthy audience of families, young people, and even caught the attention of former Liverpool FC star Jamie Carragher who visits “all the time”.
Spitroast on Smithdown Road(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Adam said: “The impact we had on South Liverpool was always positive. That is why we opened another site in Waterloo. I designed Spitroast to be a chainable cocnept so we could roll it out and copy and paste it where it was needed.
“When I was looking at what was available 10 years ago, there were only pizza places, kebab shops and takeaways to deliver. There was nothing healthy for under £10. It was insane. There was no guilt free food you could grab on a daily basis.
“A lot of restaurants are destinations places but Spitorast is somewhere I’ve always wanted to be good value for money you can take your family. Tat’s not to discredit what we do, because the industry is struggling and needs places like this.
“We make our sauces from scratch, we only use fresh, high quality ingredients and we always try and keep the price as reasonable as possible. People need somewhere they can simply buy nice healthy food that may be for a family of five without worrying about what else they can afford during the week.
Spitroast has received national praise from industry experts(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
He added: “Because of this, we get so many of the same faces on a regular basis. Families coming in, lads stopping by right after the gym, and that’s who I’ve always imagined Spitroast serving. We are fuel for the communities not a destination. We feed the same people every day.”
Despite roots planted firmly in their respective communities, Spitorast has gone on to become one of the biggest restaurants in the UK. The chain has claimed titles including ‘best fast food restaurant’ in the LuxLife Magazine Awards with the most recent nomination landing last week for ‘best chicken restaurant’ in Deliveroo’s Takeaway Awards.
Adam said: “Ten years ago we had no competition and now we have mountains. It’s nice to hear praise from someone else’s mouth. You get so wrapped up working day to day you don’t even hear the headlines sometimes. It’s nice to have that reminder. We’ve never really changed what we do and I don’t think we will. As long as people are happy with what we’re offering then we’ll be happy to deliver it. “