This is how MUMS started 18 years ago: A new burger marks Charlotte and Allan’s journey

Maybe you remember the anniversary burger from 2020 with chili cheese tops and pickled red onions, which became so popular that other restaurants copied it.

Now MUMS is relaunching the burger in a 2.0 version with fried chicken breast instead of beef.

The occasion is that it’s been 10 years since they opened MUMS in the old dairy shop premises on Gugvej 184.

But in fact, it’s been a full 18 years since MUMS itself became a reality.

MigogAalborg met with the owners, Charlotte and Allan, for a chat about their fantastic journey into the MUMS universe, which 10 years ago led them to their current location.

Homework in the back room and toilet in the basement

When Charlotte Blak Frost opened MUMS on Sønder Tranders Vej in 2007, it was with the wish to be closer to her children.

She was tired of her job in the freight forwarding industry and dreamed of opening her own gourmet shop with wine, chocolate, and delicacies in jars.

Together with her husband, she had saved money, and they wanted to use it for the shop.

“And if it didn’t work out, we would just close again,” Charlotte says with a smile.

The children attended Gug School, which was right across the street from where Charlotte opened MUMS – and that was entirely intentional.

“When I put the sign out in the morning, it matched up with my daughter’s recess, so we could wave to each other,” says Charlotte.

Charlotte spent many hours in the shop, but with the location across from the school, she was always close to her children.

After school, they could do their homework in the back room, and if they were sick, they could rest on the sofa there.

“One time my daughter’s teacher called and said Cecilie was so upset, and asked if she could come over to me that day.

So the teacher walked her across the street to me, and then she could stay with me while I worked in the shop,” Charlotte says.

The toilet was in the basement, and since she was the only one running the shop, whenever she had to go downstairs, she had to close the shop briefly until she came back.

Over time, the space became cramped, and Charlotte began considering her next step.

The dairy shop on Gugvej

One day she was walking along Gugvej and passed an older house where there had once been a dairy shop.

The commercial space still existed facing the road, and the owners were working in the garden.

“I simply stopped and told them that if they ever wanted to sell, I’d like to buy it from them,” Charlotte says.

At the time they weren’t interested, but a couple of years later, the wife showed up in the shop and was ready.

Back then, Gugvej wasn’t zoned for commercial use, so Charlotte knew it would be a long process to get permission from the municipality. Still, she went for it. After about a year and a half, the local plan was changed, and Charlotte could begin renovating the premises.

Now the dream of a gourmet shop with its own kitchen and take-away could finally come true!

And then came the burger that took Aalborg by storm:

“When we moved to Gugvej, our dream was really mostly about making Nordic tapas,” says Allan Frost, who now owns the business together with his wife, Charlotte.

“But then we made a Halloween burger just for fun and put 150 up for sale – and they were gone in no time.

So we expanded the menu with burgers and also introduced a monthly limited-edition burger.”

The vision for MUMS has always been the same: to make quality food with local ingredients.

And when the business celebrated its five-year anniversary on Gugvej five years ago, they launched the anniversary burger, which turned out to be a genuine bestseller.

With a beef patty, homemade pickled red onions, and chili cheese tops, it swept both customers and Aalborg’s restaurant scene off their feet – so much so that several burger joints began selling burgers with chili cheese tops.

This month, they are repeating the success with one change:

“We’ve swapped the beef patty for a fried chicken breast and are calling it the Anniversary Burger 2.0,” says Allan.

In addition, the burger this time is also filled with chili cheese tops, garlic and chili mayo, homemade pickled red onions, tomato relish, cheddar, and crispy lettuce.

“The Spirit of Taste” – for 10 years and beyond

MUMS’ food philosophy has always been simple: quality, local ingredients, and great taste experiences.

Allan and Charlotte call it “The Spirit of Taste” – a combination of nostalgia and a modern twist that can be tasted in everything from tapas to burgers.

And the future? It looks bright. The couple’s children are already an active part of the business, and the long-term dream is that they will take it over completely. There are even plans to expand the space to make room for even more ideas.

But one thing is certain: MUMS is staying on Gugvej – and if all goes according to plan, they’ll be celebrating with an Anniversary Burger 3.0 in 2035.