Gary Usher smashes £150,000 crowdfund target within 24 hours

Usher launched the month-long crowdfund campaign​​ on Tuesday evening (1 June) at 8pm, which involved selling Elite Bistros meal vouchers, with the money put towards helping to launch Elite Bistro Events.

By 7pm last night (2 June), the crowdfund had already surpassed its £150,000 target.

At the time of writing the crowdfund has raised £161,636 from 1,941 backers.

Reacting to the response last night on Twitter, Usher said: "Its been a terrible 18 months but in our darkest times the team started Elite Bistros AT HOME, as I personally gave up all hope.

"I looked at folding Elite. Everyone disagreed and the teams running it turned Elite Bistros around. Today you just secured its/our future, thank you.

Elite Bistro Events will cater for events including weddings, and operate alongside the group's Elite Bistros at Home operation from the group's newly-acquired headquarters in Hoole, Chester.

The business will be managed by Ashley Whittingham-Orford, previously general manager at Usher's Burnt Truffle and Wreckfish restaurants.

Ryan Howarth, previously head chef at Wreckfish, will oversee the food.

Elite Bistros at Home launched nationwide in June last year following some reluctance from Usher to follow many of his restaurant peers and enter the make-at-home market.

Speaking to BigHospitality last year in a Community Heroes video​​ as part of the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards, Usher said he initially pushed back against plans for Elite Bistros at Home.

“I was pretty negative because of everything that was happening and finding it hard to be optimistic about anything to do with the business” he admitted at the time.

However, he was eventually convinced to do so by others in the company and the business has since become very successful.

The Elite Bistros group operates six restaurants in total across the north-west of England including Burnt Truffle, Sticky Walnut, Hispi, and Kala.

To view the crowdfund page, click here​​.