“Maraca is ours”, “Give it, give it, give it, Mengo”, and “What a crowd is it” are some of the songs that rock Flamengo fans in the stands of Maracanã, and which have now become snacks by the hands of couple Allex Martins and Roberta Martins. Fans of the club, the two have turned a crisis into an opportunity to quench the Red-Blacks thirst for titles (and hamburger).
As the pandemic worsened, Roberta lost her job and the couple decided to take up business. They bought a motorbike, a refrigerator, tables, a plancha, a fryer and, hop, the Uruburguer was created, a delivery of snacks intended for the red-black nation. While Roberta is tasked with making the 14 different types of sandwiches, Allex travels through São Gonçalo, a city in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, satiating hungry rubro-negros.
“We thought about how to differentiate ourselves among thousands of stores. We are losing the people of Vasco, Tricolor and Botafogo, but we have gained momentum from Flamengo, we are sailing in this wave. We are surviving and we plan to expand in Niterói and other places in the vicinity “, said Allex UOL Sport.
He says the bestseller is “3-0 in Liverpool” (bread, three meats, three cheeses, bacon, straw potatoes and salad), but he points out that the team’s performance on the pitch has interference direct in his affairs. With an average of 70 sales per week, Allex says that the bellies of customers seem to be rumbling more after the great victories of Renato Gaúcho’s team:
“It’s notorious. On days of bad results, it looks like the business will wither away. Before and around the game, the orders start. If the team wins, the orders come back after the game is over.”
“Smell the smell” is one of the sandwiches “Vulture”
Image: Disclosure
Dedicated to relaunching the business, the two plan to customize the packaging and design shirts, but the situation still does not allow this leap. By doing the math, the couple dreams of returning to Maracanã. Dedicated to growing the business, they stress that the crisis is still affecting income, but the worst seems to be over.
With Flamengo alive for the three titles still in play this year, Martins is already starting to plan his next creations. In view of the Libertadores title, the burger shop is already offering a version of ‘Palmeiras has no Mundial’ (bread, two meats, two cheeses, Canadian loin, barbecue bacon), but future honors will go to names like Zico, Adriano and Petkovic.
“The hard thing is to create the snack, not the name,” joked Allex, a red-black man with a full belly.
“Coffeeaholic. Lifelong alcohol fanatic. Typical travel expert. Prone to fits of apathy. Internet trailblazer.”