'Everybody thinks it's a fish restaurant': Gary Usher to rename Wreckfish

Chef Gary Usher has revealed plans to change the name of his Liverpool restaurant due to concerns it was acting as a "deterrent" to guests who mistakenly believed it only served fish.

The restaurateur behind Elite Bistros opened Wreckfish in 2017 following a £200,000 crowdfunding campaign backed by Tom Kerridge.

In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Usher said: "I just wanted to have a chat with you about Wreckfish. It's been so bloody hard here the last 12 months and we are not busy enough...we need more people here to survive.

"[You] need to have confidence in us to come here. I'm unbelievably confident in the product here.

"Where we need to be better and something we feel that has held us back or can hold us back is the name. It's a ridiculous name. I called it Wreckfish and everybody thinks it's a fish restaurant and that's a deterrent for a lot of people."

He suggested renaming the restaurant to Wreck Bistro, but said he was open to ideas from the public, who supported the crowdfund.

Usher said he had invested a lot of time and money in the restaurant in the last month and that Ryan Howarth, Elite Bistros group head chef, had returned to oversee the kitchen, alongside a new general manager.

New furniture has been purchased for the site and the outside of the restaurant is due to be refurbished in two weeks' time.

"This place is absolutely ready to go," said Usher.