Nuno Mendes plans Viajante revival through £1.75m crowdfunding scheme
Chef restaurateur Nuno Mendes has today launched a £1.75m equity crowd fund in a bid to reopen his Michelin-starred restaurant Viajante.
The Bethnal Green restaurant closed its doors in January 2014 after four years in operation and the space in the Town Hall hotel was later transformed into the Typing Room under chef Lee Westcott, backed by Jason Atherton.
Mendes, who went open on to become executive chef at André Balazs' the Chiltern Firehouse, has found a potential new site in a refurbished Victorian riverfront warehouse at Metropolitan Wharf, Wapping.
He commented: "As many of you who I have had a chance to meet may know, Viajante was a very special project for myself and the team, a project that we were all incredibly proud of and extremely sad to have to end.
"We all believed that the restaurant was going from strength to strength at the time of closing and ever since I have been committed to launching it one day.
"Our challenge has been to find the right location with a better offering and in a space where the project could really realise its full potential. We have now secured an amazing location and we have decided to launch Viajante through an equity crowd funding platform because we want to give our friends and supporters, the people of London, Portugal and from around the world, a chance to become part of making our dream a reality, while also sharing in the planned success."
Mendes aims to raise £1.75m for a 33% equity stake through crodfunding platform Seedrs, with minimum investment in the project starting at £10. If his crowdfunding ambition are successful, he hopes to open the restaurant in autumn next year.
Qualifying UK taxpayers will be able to claim 30% of their investment back in EIS income tax reliefs, while some investors may also be eligible for exclusive perks such as guaranteed bookings, free meals and VIP invitations, in addition to receiving shares.
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