Two Leeds entrepreneurs have secured £110,000 funding to launch their first restaurant venture in the city.
Alexander Jarvis and his husband Clement Cousin used money from Reward Finance Group to launch Bavette Bistro, in the former Little Monk site in Horsforth. The pair are seasoned industry professionals with Mr Jarvis having formerly work as commis chef at former Michelin-guided Knightsbridge venue Racine, and more recently as group managing director and head chef for The Culpeper Family Hospitality Group, which operates sites across London.
Mr Cousin has more than 10 years’ front of house experience across restaurants and bars, including as a restaurant manager at The Culpeper Family Hospitality Group where he met Mr Jarvis. The pair say they spent around six months looking for the ideal property before settling on the Town Street venue, which had been the Little Monk before its closure at the end of last year.
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Mr Jarvis, director of Bavette Bistro, said: “Having both worked in the hospitality industry most of our lives, we decided it was time to look into opening our own venture. The bistro is ideally located in the centre of Horsforth’s thriving bar and restaurant scene and will offer a seasonally-led menu of dishes to cater for around 36 covers.
“The funding provided by Reward is integral to financing the property lease purchase, complete the necessary redevelopment work to create a welcoming neighbourhood bistro and provide the working capital security while we build our reputation. We’re excited to have launched our first bistro in Leeds and we plan to succeed in an area of business that we are hugely knowledgeable and passionate about.”
Alan Sanderson, one of Reward’s underwriters, added: “It’s great to support such a diverse range of SME businesses across the region, especially two hugely talented entrepreneurs who have drawn on their extensive experience in the restaurant industry to launch their first business venture. Alexander and Clement have worked for some of London’s finest restaurants and bars and will no doubt thrive in such a high footfall area with a well-established line up of eateries and bars.
“The deal is a great example of our flexibility and speed of lending and our ability to support a new business in the hospitality sector – something that mainstream lenders aren’t doing as frequently at the moment. We look forward to following the success of Bavette Bistro as it no doubt goes from strength to strength.”
Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber
