Shared values and a focus on high standards of service have brought together two of Liverpool’s high-profile businesses in a unique collaboration. Family firm, Williams MINI which is located on Great Howard Street in the city, has teamed up with the city’s most talked about restaurant, Lu Ban in the Baltic Triangle.
Identifying parallels in their ethos, values and approach to team training, developing a culture of excellent service and the highest standards of professionalism, has brought the two organisations together in a shared mission.
Lu Ban has committed to sustainability from the outset and is running the highly successful restaurant with protecting the environment as a key element of its purpose. Its use of electricity as its only source of energy for everyday service via induction woks, sparked interest from the Williams team who spotted the synergies between the eco-friendly restaurant and MINI Electric, the iconic brand from the premium automotive centre. The vehicle captures many of the elements of the restaurant and its celebrity chef, Dave J Critchley. Energetic and fun, they also address environmental concerns in an inventive fashion.
The brands have aligned with the first activation being a fully liveried MINI Electric which is hitting the streets of Merseyside with the “Iconic Design Meets Inventive Cuisine” design emblazoned around the sleek black body of the iconic car. The MINI Electric will be driven by chef Dave as part of the partnership campaign over forthcoming months.
Chris Woods, group marketing manager at Williams, said: “It’s exciting times as the Lu Ban team join together with Williams MINI Electric in this unique pairing. These Liverpool icons will spark off each other as we create a new partnership full of possibilities. The reaction to our car, that is just starting its journeys across the region, has been amazing and there is huge interest in how electric vehicles are changing the face of driving. With both brands the emphasis is on only using the energy you need and there are real parallels with the instant power and connection of the restaurant’s induction cooking and the electric drive experience.”
The Electric MINI will be the focus of the carpool cook-a-long initiative where chef Dave collects local celebrities and influencers in the car and chats to them about life in Liverpool as he takes them to the restaurant to prepare their favourite dishes from the Lu Ban menu together. In a unique livestream, viewers will be invited in to join the cook-along online to understand more about the induction method of cooking in the busy Lu Ban kitchen.
Dave Critchley said: “It is great to be involved with this partnership that showcases the green credentials of both businesses. I’m truly looking forward to the cookalongs, enjoying a good chat with some of the city’s well-known people in the MINI and then cooking a meal alongside them in the restaurant. It’s going to be great fun and I hope everyone will enjoy seeing what we get up to!”
Mixologists at the restaurant are currently experimenting with flavours and ingredients as they conjure up a cocktail and mocktail to celebrate the collaboration – combining the fire of the spices included in Lu Ban cooking with ingredients reflecting the classic nature of the British iconic car.
There are also plans to create bespoke shared family dining experiences, underlining the family values of Williams and complimenting the Chinese family cultural values that inspired the restaurant, as part of the raft of initiatives to celebrate the partnership. Both seaport waterfront cities, Liverpool and Tianjin (from where the Lu Ban menu is derived), have much in common and there will be a focus on families and culture throughout the partnership. Globally iconic, there will be a local connection as the brands are brought to life in the city.
