Meet Andrew Bell | President : Belly’s Crab Corner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Bell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It was a mixture of things that were happening at the same time. For months, my family members were tying to get me to start selling the seafood that I’ve been cooking for family gatherings but I was content in not doing so because my full time job was fun and I was compensated well. But at the same time I was mentally and physically exhausted. I would travel a lot, and when I wasn’t traveling my commute to my office was 2.5hrs up, work 10hr day, and commute 2.5hrs home. After time, I decided to listen to my family and give it a try. The rest is history.

What should our readers know about your business?
Well, we may appear to be in the food service industry. However, we base our business around customer service and everything else comes after. I believe that is what made us successful til this day. Fortunately enough we happen to have a product that our customers love. Prior to starting this business Ive worked in multiple 3 to 5 star establishments for 10+ years in which I’ve learned how important it is to make your customers feel like they are apart of your family/business. Being that we are family owned and operated I’ve instilled what I learned over the years into my children (who faces the customers the most) It’s been quite a journey for us over the past few years. We’ve experienced setbacks on every level of success. For instance, we started out selling our meals under a tent in our uncle’s yard. One day, just as we’re preparing to open for, a thunderstorm came and completely wiped out everything. Our tents were destroyed, as well as all prepped inventory. But we didn’t let that discourage us. We still found a way to open that day, and every weekend after that. Fast foward a year and a half and despite of the worldwide pandemic, we have worked our way up to food truck #2. Things were very busy for us. 3 weeks later, that brand new food truck was set on fire. It was devastating but again, we did not let that discourage us. Now I want to go back to what I was saying earlier. Treat your customers like they are apart of the family/business. with the help of our customers we were able to open back up with a bigger better food truck within 3 weeks. Fast forward about 6 months, we’re now preparing to open a new concept in Wynwood.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Growing up in Miami, I feel that someone, somewhere would like me to answer this question with a simple “South Beach”. Miami has so much more to offer. But to be honest im such a homebody and a family man. If we do go out, we’re headed to get food so here’s where we would grab a bite: Monday: We’re definitely headed to World Famous House of Mac for “Mac Monday’s” Tuesday: Tuesdays are reserved for tacos. We’re headed to 1 of these 3 for lunch- Tiago’s Tacos in Kendall, Berto’s Kitchen in homestead, or Taco Genius in South Miami. honorable mention is Coyo Taco (they have something special in the back of the restaurant at night) Wednesday – Saturday would get tricky because these are my business days however there’s still a few places to eat: Wednesday: Sunday’s Eatery in Miami Gardens opens up for the week. you want to catch them on this day because every other day the line is out of this world. Thursday: Friday: my best friend would definitely be hanging out with me as it is my food truck busiest night. Kick back and enjoy some great seafood from Belly’s Crab Corner and grab great desert from our neighboring food truck: Funnel Cake Miami. The best funnel cake I’ve ever tasted. Saturday: Miami is wide open. you can roll the dice and have a great time Sundays are reserved for the water. Charter a boat, head out to a sandbar and rent a couple jetskis.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, would definitely be my immediate family including My Wife, my mother, all of my brothers and sisters, and my cousins. all equally encouraged me to do something with my food. Next I looked directly into those that were successful in this space before me. The success of those such as Chef Teach of World Famous House of Mac, CrabMan 305, Chef Yemani of Straight Drop Seafood. Whether they knew it or not, they left a blueprint for others to be encouraged.

Website: www.bellyscrabcorner.com

Instagram: @bellyscrabcorner

Facebook: Belly’s Crab Corner

Yelp: Belly’s Crab Corner