Warm biscuit sandwiches served out of a bright blue truck, has quickly made Biscuit at Mike’s a morning staple for locals looking for a quick breakfast. Though the restaurant is on wheels, the food truck is firmly placed in its community.
Mike Simuns, the brain behind the menu, and his mom Lyn Simuns, who takes lead on important business matters, launched Biscuit at Mike’s in June 2020 in the parking lot of Native Roots at 19 S Sunset St.
Before opening Biscuit at Mikes, Mike Simuns was working at a restaurant in town. The weight of the pandemic on sit-down restaurants accelerated his food truck business. After about a month, Biscuit at Mike’s took off and Mike Simuns was able to quit his restaurant job.
Biscuit at Mike’s has tripled in revenue since it first opened, according to Lyn Simuns. Mike Simuns credits the growth in part to its focus on breakfast, a market that he saw was untapped by local food trucks. Sandwiches fly out the window within a few minutes to fit into customers’ morning routine.
“Breakfast is one of those types of meals where people are very habitual about what they eat and where they eat. And so I felt as long as I could be consistent and set up and deliver a good product that was convenient for people, I kind of felt like success was going to be inevitable,” Mike Simuns said.
Mike Simuns believes consistency is key, and he applies this to more than the sandwiches. Though Biscuit at Mike’s posts its schedule for the week on social media, it has regular spots and hours. The truck still parks at its first location at Native Roots every Friday from 7:30 to 11 a.m.
The menu is only variations of a biscuit breakfast sandwich. Besides the “biscuit of the day” Biscuit at Mike’s doesn’t stray far from its menu. Lyn said the focus on one product is a part of the business growth.
“I think it really is the fact that we have a very focused company. We're doing one thing and one thing only and doing it to the absolute best of our ability,” Lyn Simuns said.
The simplicity of the menu gained it a loyal customer base. There’s even some “secret” menu items named after regulars and based on their go-to order.
Since opening, the business grew its notoriety in the Longmont food scene. Its growing reputation and revenue increase gained it the Emerging Business Award in the Longmont Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Jubilee Awards.
Beyond consistency in the food and locations, community engagement and its charity work is the leading factor in Biscuit at Mike’s success, according to the Simunses.
“That [Jubilee award] was really special because it's not really about the food. It’s about having a really growing vital business that's engaged with our community,” Lyn Simunssaid. “And so when you can look at things like we tripled in size, tripled in revenue, we’ve added employees, it just really gives me a lot of satisfaction that we are running a great business here in Longmont that is poised to give back and grow and be a great part of our community.”
One way Biscuit at Mike’s tries to give back is helping the unhoused community. The truck served free Christmas day breakfasts to anyone who needed it. Thus far, it’s been an annual event. While the focus is on providing the homeless community with free sandwiches, Mike Simuns said anyone struggling during the holidays is eligible.
For about three months leading up to Christmas, Biscuit at Mike’s assisted Agape Safe Haven with its winter clothing drive, by providing donation bins at their regular parking spots. Mike Simuns said people were eager to donate, and while he didn't keep track of exactly how many donations they collected, it was an overwhelming amount. He added that he started putting clothes in the cab of the truck, and dropped off donations to Agape at least once a week.
According to the Simunses, the small business regularly donates its leftover biscuits to local food pantries, averaging in 15lbs a week in biscuit donations.
Making use of its extra resources, Mike Simuns also started making dog biscuits out of the leftover dough. He said it was first created as a fun way to intrigue dog owners, but quickly took off. One regular usually can’t make it to the truck on Fridays before they start closing shop so she just gets treats for her pets. The popularity led Biscuit at Mike’s creating the “billy biscuit” dog toy, where a portion of the proceeds go towards the Longmont Humane Society. In the six months of selling the toy, they have donated $200, Mike Simuns said.
“At the end of the day, you know, it's the community that I'm trying to sell to and so a stronger community is going to be able to give just as much back to me. And I think it starts with me, giving back and showing the community,” Mike said. “I think that that's been a big part of my success, not just being consistent with the sites but showing community involvement and getting excited to be a part of this community.”
Mike Simuns, who grew up in Lyons and went to school in Longmont from middle to high school, felt it was important to use his food truck business to give back to his community. He moved away for several years, but when he dreamed of opening up his own business, he knew it needed to be in Longmont.
“When I knew that I was going to be doing the truck, it was kind of a foregone conclusion I had to come back home and do it in the city that I grew up in,” Mike Simuns said.
Mike Simuns hopes to foster a growing food truck presence in Longmont. Mike and Lyn put together a “starter pack” for new food trucks. The pack includes information on things like permits, Boulder County contacts and phone numbers for commissary kitchen.
Eventually, Mike Simuns would like Biscuit at Mike’s to own a commissary kitchen where food truck owners can work and receive mentorship on their business. He added that a commissary kitchen could be building blocks for a Biscuit at Mike’s brick and mortar. They hope to start looking into the prospect seriously by the end of the year.
In the near future, Biscuit at Mike’s plans on expanding with another food truck. Mike Simuns said they are eyeing March for the launch. He added they are upping their staff to run two trucks, but he doesn’t want to grow too fast. For now, Mike Simuns is just enjoying the ride.
