Bancone to launch crowdfunding campaign to open further restaurants

Pasta restaurant group Bancone is to launch a crowdfunding campaign next month to support its expansion.

The business is hoping to raise around £700,000 to help it open further London restaurants next year.

Bancone serves fresh, handmade pasta and was founded by Will Ellner and his business partner David Ramsay in London’s Covent Garden in 2018. A second site opened in Golden Square, Soho in 2019.

Ellner said: "We are a profitable business - still in organic growth - and we are loved across the board, by media and diners alike. Due to Covid however, we’ve not been able to build up our cash reserves, and we have ambitious growth plans. Through the Crowdcube venture we have a chance to kickstart our growth plans."

Bancone’s original restaurant holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which recognises both quality and value of food and is awarded to restaurants offering three courses for under £30. The 2022 Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland praised its "freshly made pasta at great prices" and called its ‘silk handkerchiefs’ with walnut butter a "highlight".

Ben Waugh, former head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus, joined Bancone as group executive chef earlier this year.

The Crowdcube page is expected to go live around 5 December, but anyone interested can pre-register for early access.