The inspiring story behind Swindon’s brand new gourmet burger joint

That is the slogan of Swindon’s newest burger joint, Mooba, which opened at The Crossing on the upper level of the Brunel Shopping Centre on August 19.

Founded by Maximilian Ilau and Bikaschandra Rana, the restaurant aims to serve unique, high-quality burgers to the town.

Starting from humble origins two years ago, the path has been far from smooth for Max who moved to the UK from Romania in 2015 to fulfil his culinary dream.

Bikaschandra Rana and Maximilian Ilau have worked together in the past. (Image: Newsquest)

“My brother already lived here working as a head chef at The Olive Tree in Ledbury and asked me to work alongside him,” he said.

“I worked at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant as well as working at Bills but I wanted to do my own thing and in summer of 2021 I created Mooba.

“My idea was to buy a van and start selling my own food from it.”

The 27-year-old found a vehicle business on the internet in October 2021 and paid a £15,000 deposit but disaster struck before he could receive the vehicle.

“I was told that it would take three months until the van was ready so I was very excited to start my own business,” said Max.

A selection of Mooba's burgers that are on offer. (Image: Mooba)

“The time passed and I found out that the company had gone into liquidation and time was stopped for me as £15,000 was a life saving amount.

“Myself and 55 other people all gave deposits worth over £1,000,000 together but we never got the money back.”

Max had to improvise to ensure his dream of selling his own burgers still came into fruition.

“With the money I had left, I decided to convert a regular white van into the van I needed,” he said.

“We put in a kitchen inside with cookers and a grill. Even though I had never done this before, the excitement of having my own business drove me.

The menu at Mooba is packed with choices. (Image: Newsquest)

“The business officially started in July of 2022, serving Bourton on The Water and we have gone on to serve Cheltenham too.”

With Mooba, Max and Bikaschandra hope to offer something new to the town which will help draw in the customers.

“I worked with Bikaschandra before and he lives in Swindon so I asked if we wanted to go into the business with me.

“I hope that the people from Swindon will see what the word burger means as I have tried burgers around the town and never found anything like Mooba.

Max in the kitchen at the restaurant in Swindon. (Image: Newsquest)

“The way I build the burger is unique in the UK and the quality is very important so we only use fresh ingredients with grass-fed beef and locally made bread.”

Now Max’s first restaurant is open and brimming with business as he plans to open another two in neighbouring locations.

“It feels great when all the work finally pays off and it is amazing how much you can achieve in one year,” he said.

“Last year I was down by £15,000 and this year I now have my own restaurant and more still to come.

The Mooba van that Max and his partner made from scratch. (Image: Maximilian Ilau)

“We will open a restaurant in Cheltenham later this year and one in Bourton on The Water next year.”

The chef has come through adversity to open his maiden restaurant and is proud that he was able to prove his doubters wrong.

“In the beginning when I told people about my vision and how famous the burger would be, nobody believed in me apart from my girlfriend who helped me,” said Max.

“She helped me build the van and my parents supported me but now I have people driving three hours specially to eat my food so I am so happy and proud.”