James Allcock extends restaurant crowdfund after hitting £12k target

Chef James Allcock has launched a crowdfunding campaign to secure full ownership of his restaurant, the Pig and Whistle in Beverley, east Yorkshire.

The Kickstarter page went live on Sunday evening (12 February) and hit its £12,000 target within 48 minutes.

A stretch target of £20,000 has now been set which will see the funds used to fit new opening windows to the front of the restaurant which the chef said would give the venue an "inside outside feel" similar to Parisian bistros or tapas bars in Spain.

"I'm excited and hopeful we can push this fund on to achieve that, but humbled and honoured you've allowed us to come this far and helped me secure The Pig for the next 10 years," Allcock wrote on the Kickstarter page.

Allcock, who has previously cooked at Burnt Truffle and the Pipe and Glass, opened the Pig and Whistle in 2017.

He has since bought out his business partner but launched the crowdfund to fund paying a bond to the landlord to take full control of the restaurant.

Allcock told The Caterer he had made the Kickstarter account months ago but had not launched the page until last week after worrying it would never hit its target.

After announcing the plans last week, chefs including Gary Usher of Elite Bistros, Paul Leonard of Michelin-starred Forest Side in Cumbria and Mark Poynton, who is soon to open a restaurant in Norfolk, got in touch offering to run guest chef nights to support the Kickstarter.

"It's a very different industry now to when I first started, it's so collaborative and supportive. It's really nice and humbling to have these talented people getting in touch [to help]," said Allcock.

Other rewards include vouchers for meals at the restaurant, bespoke deli hampers, and branded t-shirts.

The Kickstarter has 48 days remaining and at the time of writing has raised £13,431 from 83 backers.

To view the crowdfund page click here.