Million Pound Menu contestants revealed

The entrepreneurs who will pitch for investment in their burgeoning restaurant concepts on new BBC 2 show Million Pound Menu have been revealed.

 

The programme, fronted by Fred Sirieix, general manager of Galvin at Windows in London and maitre d' on Channel 4's First Dates, has been described as Dragons' Den for the hospitality industry and will be screened on BBC 2 at 9pm on 17 May.

 

Each week two hopefuls will set out to convince investors to back their concepts during three-day trials in a 40-seat pop-up restaurant in Manchester.

 

The teams will be judged on their food, service, team-management, brand potential and business plans before discovering if they have secured investment.

 

Those hoping to secure investment are:

 

Week 1

 

 

• Ruth Hansom and Emily Lambert - Epoch
Hansom, 22 and winner of Young Chef of the Year 2017, has teamed with 20-year-old Lambert, the Ritz's youngest ever female sommelier. The pair will seek £600,000 in the aim of seeing their British fine dining concept Epoch open its first restaurant.

 

 

• Ewen Hutchison - Shrimpwreck
Hutchison, 27, is the founder of Scottish street-food stall Shrimpwreck and hopes to secure £100,000 to set his concept on the road to becoming the next big casual dining brand. Established in 2016 Shrimpwreck specialises in king prawn tempura buns, fish finger sandwiches, salt & Cajun squid and sweet potato fries.

 

 

Week 2

 

• Oli, Joe and Michael - FINCA
Oli, Joe and Michael established Cuban street-food concept FINCA in the summer of 2016 and trade from Liverpool's Baltic Market. The trio are hoping to secure a £150,000 investment to open a permanent site in Liverpool, before rolling out nationally.

 

 

• Chelsea Campbell - Wholesome Junkies
Campbell, 27, set up Wholesome Junkies in early 2017 serving vegan junk food at pop-ups, festivals, food fairs and weddings across the north west. She is hoping to secure £95,000 to open a permanent site in Manchester.

 

 

Week 3

 

• Ronnie Murray and James Randall - Hollings
Murray, ex-Hix Group head chef, and Randall, ex-Hix bar manager, are seeking investment in their concept for a restaurant offering classic British food and drinks, with city centre service, in the suburbs. Hollings has never traded and the pair are hoping to secure £200,000 to open in the London commuter belt.

 

 

• Graham Bradbury - The Cheese Wheel
Bradbury, 35, serves fresh pasta dunked in a 40kg GranaPadana cheese wheel from Camden Market. The ex-L'Escargot chef is hoping to secure £500,000 to help the Cheese Wheel become the next Italian-inspired restaurant chain.

 

 

Week 4

 

• Prince Owusu - Trap Kitchen
Owusu launched Trap Kitchen from his mum's council flat in south London offering lobster tails and waffles. It became a social media sensation and opens three times a week. Customers place an order and park outside the block of flats to wait for their food to be delivered. Owusu has been serving more than 200 meals a night and is seeking £500,000 to achieve his dream of Trap Kitchen becoming the next Nando's.

 

 

• Lee Bardon and Faai Kerdphol - Greedy Khao
Vegan Thai grab-and-go concept Greedy Khao has been running as a food stall for six months serving classic dishes containing meat substitutes including tofu, seitan and jackfruit. Bardon and Kerdphol aim to take a slice of the grab-and-go lunch market and are offering a 25% share of their business in exchange for a £225,000 investment.

 

 

Week 5

 

• Jay Morjaria - Dynasty
Korean restaurant concept Dynasty has been operating as a supper club offering vegan friendly dishes with a few meat sides. Morjaria is looking for a £600,000 investment with the vision of growing the concept to a group of restaurants.

 

 

• Rupert Smith and Marita Lietz Bubble&
Chef Smith and his wife Lietz launched Bubble& as a food stall offering variations on the classic bubble and squeak in 2013. The pair are now seeking £140,000 investment to help them launch the concept as a national chain.

 

 

Week 6

 

• Jennifer Henry and Hannah Adams - Naked Dough
Raw cookie dough parlour Naked Dough was established in June 2017 trading from a pop-up in London's Old Street station. Henry and Adams serve up raw, celiac and vegan-friendly cookie dough with a variety of toppings. Having valued the business at more than £2m they are seeking £250,000 to roll out nationwide.

 

 

• Liz and Stew Down - Black Bear Burger
The husband and wife team established Black Bear Burger in 2016 and trade from Boxpark, Shoreditch. The pair are seeking a £250,000 investment.

 

Fred Sirieix-fronted TV show Million Pound Menu set to air next month >>

 

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