Buenos Aires Argentine Steakhouse plans expansion

Restaurant group Buenos Aires Argentine Steakhouse is on the hunt for new investors as part of its plans to grow to 15 sites by 2018.

The business, founded and run by Cristian and Linda Barrionuevo, started life in 2007 in Purley near Croydon and has since grown to nine Buenos Aires sites as well as the standalone Speroni restaurant, which is also located in Purley, adjacent to the original Buenos Aires steakhouse.

Speroni is a joint venture between the Barrinuevos and Crystal Palace goalkeeper and Argentine national, Julián Speroni. The restaurant, which opened in late 2013, offers a range of Italian food.

The business has recently revamped its Buenos Aires steakhouse format to incorporate a brighter, airier design at the same time as converting many of its sites to all-day trading with light breakfasts and casual dining style lunch options.

The success of recent sites such as Richmond and Wimbledon has convinced the pair of the potential to expand further, with ambitions to take on seven new sites in the next three years, while removing one or two existing sites or converting them to different formats.

Commenting on the plans, Cristian Barrionuevo said: "We are looking for some experienced investors to run the business with us. We want to organise the business properly and take it to the next level."

He added that 2015 was likely to see at least one, and possibly two new openings from the business.