Essex chefs hit £10,000 crowdfunding target to open Grain
Former Le Gavroche chef Jordan Sidwell (Sid) and Paul Wendholt of The Greyfriars Hotel have raised £11,290 from 167 backers to launch Grain this summer.
The duo hit their target less than 24 hours before the campaign ended.
“We can honestly say we never thought we’d make it this far,” they wrote on the Kickstarter page.
“So to the people of Colchester, Essex, and some even further we thank you all for everything and can’t wait to see each and every one of you at Grain soon.”
Wendholt told BigHospitality in May that despite Grain’s ‘pretentious one word name’ the pair wanted their food to be accessible to all.
A selection of small Modern British plates will make up the menu, all priced as starters to keep the restaurant affordable.
The partners are also hoping to break down the back and front-of-house divide with chefs bringing out plates to diners and waiting staff helping in the kitchen where possible.
“We’re really conscious about having one team so everyone understands what goes in to each other’s job,” said Wendholt.
The pair are the latest chefs to turn to crowdfunding to open an independent restaurant this year, following Paul Foster with Salt and Gary Usher’s Hispi Bistro.
For more information on Grain’s crowdfunding drive, click here.
