The Munch Box food truck 'devastated' by fire

Scott Sanders, owner of much-loved The Munch Box on Lynch Lane arrived at the food van yesterday morning (Wednesday, January 17), to find that there had been a fire overnight.

He said: “I didn’t realise that smoke could cause so much devastation. I stepped outside because I didn’t know what to do. I was in shock.”

Damage to the Munch Box (Image: Scott Sanders)

He explained that as he arrived in the morning, ‘there was a strong smell of smoke and the lights didn’t come on,’ which he had put down to the cold weather.

However, upon further inspection he realised that the inside of the vehicle had been badly damaged by a fire.

Damage to the Munch Box (Image: Scott Sanders)

Scott believes that the fire originated from the boiling water tap as there is a lot of damage to the area surrounding it.

The business owner said: “I am a small business, and the insurance excess is so high, once I pay the excess, I will be losing money.

“I am also going to lose money as I will have to close until we can get up and running again.”

Damage to the Munch Box (Image: Scott Sanders)

Scott does not yet know the extent of the damage as he is yet to discover whether the coffee machine is working and whether the counter tops will need replacing.

The 43-year-old has set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes that people may be able to donate and help him save his business.

Damage to the Munch Box (Image: Scott Sanders)

Scott has owned the Munch Box for five years and prides himself on offering affordable prices.

He said: “As long as we have got enough money to pay the bills, what’s the point of having millions in your bank account.

“We also use a lot of local produce including the buns and eggs as well as biodegradable packaging.”

Scott Sanders and his wife (Image: Scott Sanders)

The chef moved to Weymouth 15 years ago from Manchester and started his career in a café washing up, saying, ‘it’s always been a dream of mine to run my own café.’

He added: “One of the real reasons why I got into cooking and doing my job is not for the money but it’s to see the look on people’s faces when they’re eating my food - that’s worth more than any money.

“I was a delivery driver and often used burger vans – you know it’s cooked with love. I love working and I love giving.”

Damage to the Munch Box (Image: Scott Sanders)

Scott also runs the kitchen at the Royal Standard, which is aptly named Scott kitchen and also enjoys sharing videos on TikTok as thesingingburgerman, ‘to make at least one person smile’

Damage to the Munchbox (Image: Scott Sanders)

If you would like to donate to Scott’s fundraiser and help him reach his £1,000 target, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-get-us-back-up-and-running?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer.