Operator lineup announced for Fred Sirieix's Million Pound Menu
Hosted by Fred Sirieix, general manager of Galvin at Windows, the six-part series will see 12 would-be restaurateurs compete to secure major investments to launch their restaurants.
The first episode will see Ruth Hansom, the first female Young National Chef of the Year, team up with Emily Lambert, The Ritz’s youngest ever female sommelier. They will seek an investment of £600,000 to launch their all-British fine dining concept Epoch.
It will also feature Ewen Hutchison, the 27 year-old founder of Scottish street-food stall ShrimpWreck, who is seeking £100,000 investment for his concept that specialises in king prawn tempura buns, fish finger sandwiches and Cajun squid.
Week two will see Liverpool-based Cuban street food concept FINCA aim to secure a £150,000 investment to open a site in Liverpool before rolling out nationally. Founded by Daniel Heffy, the restaurant specialises in Cuban sandwiches.
The episode will also include Chelsea Campbell, founder of vegan concept Wholesome Junkies, who is looking for an investment of £95,000.
In the third episode, ex-Hix Group head chef Ronnie Murray and former Hix bar manager James Randall, seek a £200,000 investment for their British restaurant concept Hollings, which will serve British food and drinks in the suburbs.
It will also see Camden’s Cheese Wheel founder and ex-Ledbury chef Graham Bradbury look for a £500,000 investment for his Italian restaurant.
Further episodes include south London lobster and waffle business Trap Kitchen seeking a £500,000 investment with the hope of becoming the “next Nando’s”, and vegan Thai street food company Greedy Khao, seeking a £225,000 investment for 25% of the business.
Jay Morjaria, founder of high-end Korean concept Dynasty, also features, looking for a £600,000 investment to build a group of East Asian-inspired restaurants, and chef Rupert Smith and his partner Marita Lietz will try to raise £140,000 to launch a restaurant chain called Bubble&, serving variations on the classic dish bubble and squeak. The pair launched the concept as a street food stall in Manchester.
In the final episode, Naked Dough will look for a £250,000 investment for its raw cookie dough business, which serves the dough as a dessert in a similar way to ice cream, and Black Bear Burger, a burger restaurant currently trading in Boxpark in Shoreditch, will look for a £250,000 investment.
Investors in the series will include chef and entrepreneur Atul Kochhar; MEATliquor co-founder Scott Collins; Living Ventures CEO Jeremy Roberts; White Rabbit Fund founder Chris Miller; and Fulham Shore chairman David Page.
