The owners of an award-winning Brighton restaurant are to open a second premises as part of a crowdfunded expansion plan.
Husband and wife team Alun and Dawn Sperring hope to repeat their success with the Chilli Pickle, in Jubilee Street, Brighton, at their new location in Guildford. It is due to open in July.
The Sperrings opened the Chilli Pickle in Meeting House Lane, in Brighton, 10 years ago and it moved to Jubilee Street in 2011.
A year ago they raised £700,000 from more than 40 investors on the crowdfunding platform Growthdeck to fund expansion, in exchange for a stake in their business.
And they have been working with the investment and advisory firm Imagine Capital, according to the food and drink trade’s Propel Newsletter.
They hope to open four more authentic Indian restaurants in the south east, in a pattern that has echoes of other local restaurant operators including Bill’s and the Giggling Squid.
The Chilli Pickle in Guildford will have 125 covers – or seats – and be in the High Street site formerly occupied by Cote’s Jackson and Rye brand until it closed last month.
Propel quoted the Sperrings as saying: “The key for us is to retain the essence of who we are with a creative edge and attention to detail and to keep it as a family vocation.
“Our regular Indian research trips enable us to keep our brand fresh and retain the confidence of our customers – wherever we are.”
They aim to replicate the Chilli Pickle’s Brighton venue in Guildford with an Indian market-inspired feel, featuring hand-painted Tamil stencil graphics and roadside-style posters.
