Outgoing Gaucho MD Martin Williams to launch new restaurant venture
Martin Williams, the outgoing managing director of Gaucho, is to launch his own restaurant venture called ‘M'.
Williams, who is set to leave Gaucho this month after nine years with the company, will open the first ‘M' restaurant in an as-yet-undisclosed location in London before the end of this year.
Two further restaurants are then set to follow in the next 18 months.
Speaking about the new venture, Williams said: "It has been an amazing nine years at Gaucho and I have loved being inspired and challenged each day by my team and our guests to continuously push the brand to new levels of quality across all that we do.
"Leading Gaucho as managing director has been a fantastic journey but I have decided that the time is right to move on to my next and biggest challenge in my career to date; starting up my own restaurant group.
"‘M' will house three concepts under one roof, forming one brand but with strong, individual identities.
During Williams's time at Gaucho, the company grew from six to 15 sites in London, Manchester, Leeds and Ducai.
He was also heavily involved in the company's rebranding from Gaucho Grill to Gaucho, and created the Gaucho Cup - an annual golf tournament for Gaucho regulars at Stoke Park. The company, which is backed by Intermediate Capital Group, has reported net sales of £55m a year and £10m company EBITDA.
The company has also won numerous awards, including a Catey for ‘Best Restaurateur - Group' in 2012.