MasterChef Finalist Ben Piette Launches Funding Tree Campaign to Relocate Eatery London House

Ben Piette, a finalist of the hit television show, MasterChef, has launched a funding initiative on Funding Tree to raise £40,000 for his soon-to-be relocated eatery, London House.

Piette and his business partner Lornette Valentine created London House from the ground up and currently has eight employees. Current monthly sales stand at around £24,000 with £7,200 profit. Due to restaurant’s popularity, the pair has decided to move into a bigger establishment. They wrote:

“Having met success at its current location, the business can no longer cater for growing demand for its Michelin-recommended restaurant. It is now ready to expand by moving out of the current site and into bigger premises which will provide adequate room into which the business can grow.”

According to Piette and Valentine, the new restaurant will accommodate 20 guests in the bar area, 36 (minimum) in the dining area and up to 12 in the private dining suite. This will represent around a 50% increase in size from the previous location, which can currently hold a maximum of 36 maximum and doesn’t have a bar or private dining room. The site will also offer a larger kitchen.

Funds will be used to help with the relocation and fitting out of the new restaurant. This will include interior building work, plumbing, installing a bar area and the refurbishment of the staff toilet. It will also cover redecoration throughout.

Noting why investors should consider investing in London House, Piette and Valentine then added:

“The business started London House Woking LLP with no bank loan, no investors and in the middle of a recession 5 years ago. The company now has first-hand experience of how to make a restaurant business work – even in tough economic conditions – and believes the intended move to bigger premises is a natural next step for the business. They have identified an ideal location and have shown the passion and determination it takes to make a business such as theirs work, having clientele return over and over again.”