A man who started making cheesecakes during lockdown and went on to open two shops has announced "with a heavy heart" that the business is up for sale. Big Mike's Artisan Cheesecakes took off like a whirlwind, said founder Mike Jones, who discovered he had a talent for the making luxurious sweet treats while furloughed from his job at an Audi garage during the pandemic.
The 6ft 3in cheesecake supremo started selling them via social media and within three months sold more than 500. He quit his job to open a shop in Carlton Hill in November 2020, selling cheesecakes by the slice or whole in flavours such as Reese's peanut butter, Ferrero Rocher, sherbet lemon and strawberry. The shop was so popular that he ran out of cheesecakes on opening day and had to close early. A second shop opened last November in Beeston.
But seven months on Mike and his partner Jess Graham posted the shock decision that he was selling the business on social media, confessing that he had tried to run before he could walk. The Beeston shop is closing until a buyer can be found while they focus on the Carlton shop, which also has seating for customers to eat in.
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The post said: "Big Mike’s took off like a whirlwind for us at the end of the first lockdown and it has been non stop ever since. I personally enjoyed cooking as a hobby and as most of you know this business came from this Instagram page I started during the first lockdown. I never saw myself in hospitality but always wanted to run my own business and Jess with all her brains and passion for helping people has been fully supportive so the opportunity to do this felt like a dream come true.
"I had the full desire to grow the business as fast as possible and if I’m honest tried running before we could walk properly with the opening of the second store in Beeston and HQ kitchen (shocking seen as I haven’t even been for a jog in 10 years). We put our profits into transforming the business but with the cost of living crisis hitting we’ve had some quiet months and it has been a struggle with us having no working capital.
"We have lost some very good people due to this. I would like to say it’s business as usual until we find a buyer who has the bank balance and ability to take Big Mike’s to the moon but unfortunately we will be closing Beeston until we have a buyer in place and focusing our resources fully at Carlton.
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"This would be an amazing opportunity for the right person to grow Big Mike’s and put cheesecake on every high street. Our HQ kitchen is complete currently making cheesecakes for our Carlton and Beeston store. Best news is that it is ready to take on another 5 stores. There is no end to where Big Mike’s could grow to but we know we can’t grow the business to its full potential.
"Myself and Jess would just like to thank every person who has supported us over the last 2 years, everyone who has worked for us, we hope you all enjoyed the ride and I can’t wait to see where the future takes us. To our customers who we receive countless messages of support from and compliments on our cheesecakes we are so grateful."
Please keep cheesecake at the top of your treat list. We will be open as normal at our Carlton store until we find a buyer so please pop in!"
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Fans of the mouth-watering treats expressed their sadness but said they fully understood his reasoning. "Nooooooooo.... that's such a shame...you guys have done an amazing job. Great to have you on our doorstep. It just shows how fragile things in the country are at the moment. I do hope someone comes along and continues the great work you started," said a customer.
Another commented: "Aww I won your first competition, not long before your Carlton store opened. It’s sad to see you guys go, but you have to do what’s best for you both. It’s especially tough on small businesses at the moment. Here’s hoping someone with the financial means is able to continue to take Big Mike’s onto bigger and greater things. Well done for what you’ve both achieved."
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