Dine Asado founder: ‘Restaurants must innovate to plug coronavirus revenue gaps’

Restaurants must look for innovative ways to plug drops in revenue caused by trading restrictions, according to the founder of new food delivery brand Dine Asado.

Stephan Guicheteau (pictured, left) is general manager of Michelin-starred Endo at Rotunda, but with no opening date in sight, said he needed to find a new way to earn more money.

Guicheteau partnered with Carlos Martinez (right), former head chef of Cliveden House, the Stafford hotel and Maze by Gordon Ramsay, to launch Dine Asado, which specialises in roasts and slow-cooked meat, with a nod to Martinez’s Spanish roots.

Dine Asado is run out of a restaurant on London’s Frith Street, where Guicheteau sub-lets a corner workstation and separate fridge space. Despite some initial difficulty finding an insurer willing to provide cover for a standalone business within an existing kitchen, he believes the model could provide a diversified revenue stream for entrepreneurial restaurateurs.

“Restaurants’ rents remain high, but due to the restrictions they face many are not trading at full capacity,” he said. “Restaurants must be flexible in the way they operate.

“Our model is all of the meat is slow-cooked, with orders placed in advance. It means we can do prep outside the restaurant's busy hours and just bag up for delivery on the day.”

Dine Asado is currently available for collection or delivery through the takeaway platform Supper and Guicheteau says he will explore moving to a permanent site in the future if demand is there.