Graphite Capital buys stake in Hawksmoor

Private equity firm Graphite Capital has bought a minority stake in London-based restaurant business Hawksmoor.

Graphite has bought out the initial "friends and family" investors who helped get Hawksmoor started.

Will Beckett, co-founder of Hawksmoor said: "When we started Hawksmoor in 2006 we made a few horrible mistakes, not least of which was signing the lease before signing the loan agreement with the bank, which subsequently failed to materialise. We were saved from going bankrupt by Huw [Gott]'s parents, who re-mortgaged their home and lent us the money to open the restaurant.

"Graphite's investment allows them, and the family of two childhood friends who also invested, to take their money out, which is something we were keen to achieve for them. Other than that it's business as usual."

Beckett and fellow co-founder Huw Gott will continue to run the business with Paul Campbell, a long-term investor, remaining on the board alongside them.

The pair are due to open their fifth restaurant, Foxlow, in November in London's Clerkenwell.

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