Gary Usher kickstarts £200,000 crowdfunding campaign for Wreckfish

Chef-restaurateur Gary Usher has launched a new £200,000 crowdfunding campaign to turn his Wreckfish pop-up into his fourth permanent restaurant.

Usher ran Wreckfish as a pop-up in Liverpool for a week in February as part of his efforts to fund the new venture, which was announced on Twitter last November.

The revenue generated from the temporary opening is being used to fund the works that have already begun on the site, a derelict 19th Century watchmakers in Ropewalks, Liverpool.

The aim is to open Wreckfish in September. It will be Usher's fourth restaurant after Sticky Walnut, in Chester, Burnt Truffle in Heswall on the Wirral, and Hispi in Didsbury, Manchester.

The Wreckfish menu will include signature dishes from Usher's other restaurants including: braised featherblade, truffle and parmesan chips; and chicken liver pâté and a house bread.

It will also be the first in the restaurant group to serve brunch, from 10am on weekends.

If successful, the £200,000 crowdfunding campaign will be the largest amount raised in the UK by Kickstarter for a restaurant. So far the campaign has raised just over 32,000 in under 24 hours.

Usher, a former Menu of the Year Catey award winner, commented: "It's always been our hope to bring humble, honest food to neighbourhoods throughout the region. It's what we did with Sticky and it's what works so well for us. Liverpool holds a special place in my heart, having worked just down the street from where Wreckfish is now.

"The response to the pop up we held earlier this year was amazing and made it obvious that this is what people want.

"Opening in a city centre is something new for us, but with the community spirit and neighbourhood feel that Liverpool has, as well as the rise in demand for new restaurants in the area, we know Wreckfish will fit right in. There has already amazing support from suppliers and customers, new and old. Now I just now can't wait to open."

Pledges include meal vouchers for lunch or dinner in all four restaurants, an invitation to the Wreckfish launch party, private dining and restaurant hire.

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