We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stef & Chris Schaldenbrand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stef & Chris thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

The first that comes to mind is the support between pop-ups whether they’re competitors or not. Perhaps it’s not a new trend, but one that is so noticeable across an increasing number of pop-ups. Our favorite examples- recommending competitors for other jobs/locations, the willingness to advise new start-ups, and our favorite- seeing industry folk move away from trashing other businesses even if they didn’t love the food or have a great experience. We also see a lot of brick and mortar restaurants being equally supportive of pop-ups and overall it’s really beautiful.

We first took note of it when Covid hit and with it a huge surge of support and generosity at a time when fear and scarcity could have sent us all in the opposite direction. Instead, so many of us pop-ups donated to restaurants and charitable groups that committed to helping closed restaurants and out-of-work industry employees. Through it all, we’re in this together, usually for the love of it first.

Stef & Chris , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We are Stef and Chris Schaldenbrand and the entirety of our 10 years together has revolved around food and how it brings people together. With both of our backgrounds in the service industry and our passion for all things food and bev, it was inevitable we’d launch our own concept eventually. Our breakfast pop-up, A.M.Smash was born out of our personal need to put energy into something we love and for a decadent, nostalgic and approachable breakfast sandwich in a breakfast burrito town. We are most proud of our commitment to sourcing quality protein. Our sausage is made from Certified-Humane Niman Ranch pork and our eggs are organic, pasture-raised, most often from Handsome Brook Farms. That and our customers- how people feel both when we are fortunate enough to interact with them and after they eat our food.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I’d say word of mouth first, both from our customers and other vendors, and then being incredibly fortunate to have been featured in some online publications such as EaterLA, Voyage, LAist and SHOUTOUTLA. And the segment on KTLA morning news definitely helped as well.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Without question, consistency. We have made it a practice to commit to our dates, times, quality and pricing. In our experience, everything is more enjoyable when there is trust – so we have prioritized building that with our customers.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: A.M. Smash
• Email: [email protected]