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Transforming a casual dining concept into a chain of restaurants is one of the most high-risk ventures in hospitality. To find out where scalable ideas originate, Tom goes behind the scenes at two restaurants looking to roll out their concepts and also shares his own rollout plans.

Harvest is a new fusion restaurant right next to Windsor Castle. It鈥檚 the brainchild of Rachel Olatoke and her husband Osa, who hatched the idea at home during lockdown. On the restaurant鈥檚 extensive menu, popular Caribbean dishes sit alongside west African dishes. For Rachel, Harvest is a way to celebrate her heritage with the people of Windsor.

The couple have sunk their life savings into the venture but, despite the restaurant being busy, they aren鈥檛 yet making a profit. They need to turn things round to have any chance of growing the Harvest brand, but the size and pricing of the menu may be holding them back. The couple are given a much-needed boost when they secure a 拢10,000 grant from the Uber Eats Black Business Fund, and Rachel decides to put the money towards an overhaul of the menu.

Stem and Glory is a vegan restaurant that began in Cambridge and has since expanded into London. The restaurant has won plaudits for the quality of its high-end plant-based menu and its sustainability practices. Founder Louise Palmer-Masterton turned to crowd-funding to finance the brand鈥檚 growth, raising 拢5 million in seven years. Now Louise and head chef Eddie Al-Sabai are taking the biggest risk to date, opening a third branch of Stem and Glory in a prime location in the City of London.

Tom鈥檚 most informal restaurant is The Butcher鈥檚 Tap and Grill, a pub-cum-butcher's shop serving steaks and burgers. He believes the concept could be repeated elsewhere, and has his sights set on a vacant pub in London鈥檚 Chelsea. But will the escalating cost of refurbishment derail the project?