PREVIOUS EVENT · FEBRUARY 2017
The last Restaurant Directors Club, hosted at the Urban Coterie on the 17th floor of the Montcalm Hotel in Shoreditch, brought together a leading panel of advisers, investors and seasoned operators, to discuss the availability of startup, expansion, equity and debt finance.
Martin Williams, founder of award-winning M Restaurants, gave a first-hand account of crowdfunding. The ex-Gaucho MD successfully secured £1.2 million out of its £1.3 million funding goal within hours of launch on Seedrs to expand to M Restaurants.
Charlie Hall, Director at Code Hospitality and Ian Woodley, founder of Finance Kitchen, voiced their thoughts on crowd funding and how, if done incorrectly, can effect follow-on rounds. Where crowd funding is not suitable, they recommended alternative options such as SEIS, EIS, VCTs and traditional asset finance. Chris Miller, founder an investment fund for new and existing restaurants, explained what makes an attractive an investment and what operators must do to get investment ready.
It was also agreed that although crowd funding attracts investors from a large pool of loyal customers, there is no substitute to having ‘grey haired investors’ that bring much valuable industry knowledge, expertise and contacts.
The Restaurant Directors’ Club, hosted by accountancy firm Jeffreys Henry LLP is an exclusive, invite-only round table discussion that brings together a cross-section of leading restaurant owners and industry experts. This unique event provides an opportunity to share ideas, exchange views, discuss current challenges, and do some all-important networking with like-minded peers.
