Elite Bistro Events hits crowdfunding target in less than 24 hours

Gary Usher's Elite Bistro Events crowdfund hit its target in less than 24 hours, with more than £161,000 of a target of £150,000 reached with 27 days still to go.

The funds will support the launch of an events side to the Elite Bistros restaurant business from Deva House in Chester, a site the group has taken on to operate as a headquarters for the event business and the Elite Bistros at Home offering.

The group said it had £80,000 to put towards the venture with initial costings of nearly £300,000. It sought to raise £150,000 through crowdfunding towards that to ensure the support of Barclays bank.

The new arm to the business will be managed by Ashley Whittingham-Orford, previously general manager at Burnt Truffle and then Wreckfish. The food will be overseen by Ryan Howarth, previously head chef at Hispi then at Wreckfish.

You can still donate to the Kickstarter here.

Elite Bistros group sites include Sticky Walnut in Hoole, Chester, the first solo restaurant for Usher, which opened in 2011; Burnt Truffle in Heswall on the Wirral, which opened in July 2015; Hispi in Didsbury, south Manchester; Wreckfish in Liverpool; Pinion in Prescot; and Kala in Manchester, which opened in 2019. All sites apart from Sticky Walnut were crowdfunded.