Fallow to invest in digital team and new restaurant after securing £3m loan

London's Fallow restaurant group has secured a £3m loan that will be invested in its new restaurant and used to expand its social media team.

Fallow, which opened its first permanent restaurant in 2021, has 228,000 Instagram followers, 381,000 YouTube subscribers, and 177,400 TikTok followers.

Its digital team posts almost daily across social media platforms, with behind the scenes looks at its restaurants, chefs and menus.

Fallow's top TikTok post, a video on making scrambled eggs like a chef, has 7.1 million views, while more than five million people have watched a YouTube video of a 'chef's eye view' of a busy lunch service.

Co-founder James Robson told The Caterer the group was looking to double the size of its digital team. The funds have also been invested in the team's upcoming Canary Wharf restaurant Roe, which will seat 350 covers and is set to open this year.

"The loan has been used to finish our build at Roe and has enabled us to invest further in our social presence," said Robson.

"We currently employ a head of marketing, full-time videographer, editor, producer and content responder and are looking to double our digital team; investing circa £35,000 to £50,000 per month on salaries and related equipment requirements."

Fallow's culinary side is led by chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft, who met while working at two-Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in Knightsbridge.

Its creative menus make use of underused ingredients such as whey, while more than 400 cod heads a week are saved from the bin for its viral orange sriracha cod's head dish.

The team opened 'beak-to-feet' chicken restaurant Fowl in the same development as Fallow last year.

Robson said the group was looking at further expansion and expected to grow its team to around 500 people by the summer.

"We have funds remaining should we want to start a roll-out of Fowl or sign a further, larger unique site, such as Roe or Fallow," he added.

"We fortunately have no major stakeholders, other than Jack, Will and myself, so are in a position to be as reactive as we like with no pressure to expand unless opportunities present themselves that we simply cannot say no to.

"Our main focus is currently on our team, which has doubled the past year to 350 and we expect to be touching 500 by summer. Ensuring they have all the mentoring, training and back-up they need is our main priority.

"I am always looking 12 to 24 months ahead so am in talks with various landlords."

Fallow won the Newcomer Award at the 2022 Cateys, while Murray and Croft were both 2021 Acorn award winners.