Gary Usher's latest restaurant crowdfund raises £50,000 in 12 hours

Gary Usher’s Elite Bistros group has raised over 50% of the target of its latest crowdfund in just 12 hours.

The business is aiming to raise £95,000 in 95 hours through Kickstarter to upgrade the kitchen at its Sticky Walnut restaurant in Chester.

Over £53,000 has been pledged by more than 490 backers since the page went live at 8pm on Monday night.

Sticky Walnut opened in 2011 on a shoestring budget and was the original restaurant in the Elite Bistros group.

Since then, Usher has crowdfunded over £900,000 from 8,000 backers to expand the business to seven restaurants, a pub and an events catering arm across the north-west of England.

The latest crowdfund will fund upgrades to the Sticky Walnut site that will see the old gas kitchen taken out and replaced with a modern electric kitchen, allowing the restaurant to move to serving breakfast seven days a week as an all-day operation.

Kickstarter rewards include pre-paid meal vouchers, private dinners, aprons, Elite Bistros at Home meal boxes and a chance for supporters to have their name on the wall at the restaurant.

In a video on the Kickstarter page, Usher said: “It’s been a challenging couple of years, and we have adapted where we can and changed what we do a little bit.

“One of our initiatives has been breakfast. For the last two months we’ve been cooking breakfast from Sticky Walnut every Saturday and Sunday. Next week we go seven days a week, breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

He added: “You know we’re slightly crazy. We’re planning to raise £95,000 in 95 hours. Yes it’s ridiculous but you guys have done it with us before and we’re going to try and do it again.

“We sell meal vouchers and products within the business and that’s what we use to grow the business.

“If you like what we do we would love your support. Even if your support is just sharing this message and telling your friends about it. Anyway, here we go again.”

Rewards will begin processing as soon as the campaign ends, and the team estimate Sticky Walnut will close towards the end of April or in May for the refurbishment.

To view the Kickstarter page, click here.