Million Pound Menu (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 2 - Baba G's, KraPow, XXVI - New Asian - full transcript
[Alec] Okay, I've made
yours spicy, yeah?
Bhaji? No worries,
thank you.
[Fred] Many of us dream
of owning our own restaurant...
Duck wrap? Yep.
Hot one? Yep.
But some people
are determined
to make it a reality.
Thank you.
There's nothing like this
out there.
We left our jobs
to follow our dream.
I want to be
the Nando's of duck.
[Fred] It's such
a tough business.
But if you get it right,
it could change your life.
I'm Fred Siriex.
I've worked in the hospitality
industry for 30 years.
Over the next six weeks
I'll be looking
for the new generation
of restaurant ideas.
Here in Manchester,
the food capital of the north,
some of the UK's most
exciting food entrepreneurs
will get a trial run
in front of the country's
most respected investors.
These men and women
can turn the right ideas into
Britain's best restaurants.
I like businesses
where I see,
"That's almost great..."
[Lacey]
First order of the day.
"...but I can make it
really great."
We need a pork belly.
It is tough out there,
but businesses that offer
the customer something
different are thriving.
Table nine, please,
how long?
If the business plan is right,
I'll fight to invest.
[both] Service!
[Fred] The entrepreneurs
will face two
high-pressure days
as they run
their own restaurant.
I just can't explain to you
how important this lunch is.
And try to convince
the investors they're
worth big money.
We've got £350,000
riding on this lunch service.
When the kitchen closes,
will the investors
make them an offer?
Everything's riding on it now.
The doors are open
for business. Welcome.
Today, three entrepreneurs
who've been dreaming
of their own restaurant
have the opportunity
they've been waiting for.
They've been chosen
to meet investors
hunting for ideas
that offer an original twist
on the UK's most popular food.
When it comes to eating out,
Asian food tops
British diners'
choice of cuisine.
Today, three ideas
with a brand-new take
on the taste of the East.
The investors try out
hundreds of new ideas
each year.
Today, they're looking
for just one.
It's a burger and chips,
Indian-style.
[Fred] The most promising
concept will be given
a two-day road test
in this restaurant
in Manchester,
so the investors
can interrogate every single
aspect of their business.
The three teams here
to prove they've
got real potential...
Rich and Paul,
the best friends
behind Krapow,
a fresh style
of Thai street food.
It's a gonna be a lovely
pork mince, chili
and basil stir-fry.
All right? Taste it.
[Fred] Young chefs
Joe and Aaron,
whose concept, XXVI,
offers a unique fusion
of Nepalese and Indian.
-So tasty.
That's properly spiced.
-Yeah.
[Alec] If you can
get me some water.
[Fred]
And couple Liz and Alec,
who've used Indian spices
to reinvent the burger
at their street stall Baba G's.
The key to a good patty
is getting the right amount
of flavor and salt and spice.
-Morning.
-[all] Morning.
How are you feeling?
Little bit nervous, but...
If you were not nervous
I would actually
be very worried.
It's a big day today,
you know, it's an amazing
opportunity that you have.
I mean, you are going
to be in front of four
of the leading investors
in this industry, you know.
So it's a chance
of a lifetime.
The investors can
only choose one of you
to go to Manchester.
They're going to choose
the idea that has the most
investment potential.
Good luck. Get cooking.
[all] Thank you.
[Fred] They have millions
of pounds to fund new ideas,
but these investors
back just a handful
of start-ups each year.
-[Fred] Good morning.
-[Jamie] Fred.
-Morning.
-How are you guys?
-Very well.
-Very good.
We've got a very
exciting day ahead.
We are about to see
and taste three operators
who believe their twist
on Asian food will get people
queuing for a table.
I mean, what is so interesting,
what's so exciting
about this sector?
For the last 50 years,
if you went to
any Indian restaurant
on the high street
or any Chinese restaurant
on the high street,
the menus were interchangeable.
And now suddenly,
young people in particular
are getting interested
in regional cuisine.
My name is Charlie McVeigh,
I've been in the pub
and restaurant business
for 20 years.
I sold a group of 16 pubs
a year ago.
I know how
to develop a brand,
and, most importantly,
I know how to make money.
Gone are the days where
you can just have
a generic Asian restaurant.
I think people want to
kind of understand
the cultures behind it,
the regions that certain
dishes come from.
I'm Jamie Barber.
I've opened dozens of
restaurants over my career.
I wanna see a concept
that's unique
and differentiated
but also mass appealing.
I think that
could be quite exciting.
One of the great things
about Asian food
has been the margin.
So rice-based,
noodle-based.
A pad thai can cost
as little as 20p to make,
and yet you can sell it
for seven or eight quid.
And hopefully today,
we'll be thinking,
"Wow, we can really
make some money here,"
which will be great.
[Paul] 74 and 75.
There you go, gents.
[Fred] First to pitch
are friends Paul, 34,
and Rich, 36.
Thank you. There's
your order number, 79.
[Fred] They run
award-winning Krapow
and want to bring authentic
Thai street food flavors
to the high street.
People know pad thai
and they know green curry.
That's not what it's about.
Chicken and rice,
sriracha mayo, number 11.
We've literally sacrificed
everything for this.
I quit my job in finance
to do this full-time
and decided that
it was a really good idea
to buy a house,
get married, have a child
in the space of six months.
This is literally putting
everything on the line
for something
that we believe in.
[Fred] Each team
will be serving
the investors a signature dish
to prove that their food
is as good as their idea.
The dish is called Krapow Moo
and it's going to be
a lovely pork mince,
chili and basil stir-fry.
[Fred] If they're chosen
to go to Manchester,
Paul and Rich will be asking
an investor for £300,000
for their first Krapow.
You cannot do
something that is
just as good as
what else is out there
in the market.
-It has to be doing something
much better or different.
-Right.
My name is Chris Miller,
I'm from White Rabbit Fund.
The investment decision
comes down to two things.
They've got to be doing
something incredibly exciting
with the food
and strong enough to actually
launch and grow a business.
We have fantastic
Thai food in this country.
Whether they create something
where people can have
a different kind of experience,
I think that's what
I would want to see.
My name it Atul Kochhar,
I'm a chef restaurateur.
Asia is my region.
I understand it really well.
But people want something new
every few years or so.
So you have to be so much
more sharper and savvier
when it comes to your
investment with new concepts.
[Jamie] I'm a skeptic.
I think that people see
through lack of authenticity.
I'd love to hear from these
guys to see if they really
have put in the effort
to understand the cuisine
rather than just
appropriate it back.
So this is adding in
the Thai basil.
The thing is, if you add it
at the last minute,
it stops it from
wilting too much.
The dish is spicy,
and there's salt in it as well.
The egg just brings
those together.
[Fred] Enough talking.
Time for some Thai food.
-Hey, guys.
-Hi, how are we?
So this is Krapow Moo.
It's a chili and basil
pork mince dish.
We hope you enjoy it.
Let's eat.
What do you think
about the food, guys?
So, that's a really
ugly plate of food.
It's not pretty.
I would question
in the world where
you're content providers
for Instagram and Facebook,
if that's your star dish,
is there a better way
to present it?
I know it doesn't look good
but I absolutely love the dish.
I think it's fantastic.
It's a little bit
like Thai Bolognese,
and luckily I love Bolognese,
so that's terrific.
It is brilliant comfort food,
in the way that Bolognese
is brilliant comfort food.
Yeah, it's a Thai comfort food.
So, guys, one thing
was to understand
what your Thai
credentials are.
I want to feel that it's more
that just a gap-year experience
that you've bought home.
Food, as with culture, anyway,
is constantly evolving.
Wok cooking is only
in Thai cooking because
of Chinese influence.
Chilies only entered Thai
cooking in the 16th century
thanks to
Portuguese travelers.
The world is getting
smaller and smaller
and I don't think
a limitation on the food
you can cook for people
should be based on
who your parents were.
If you've got a passion for it,
go for it.
Can I just say,
that's a knockout answer.
-[Jamie] It's a great answer.
-Straight right, well done.
Where are you at now?
Just slicing up butter now.
[Fred] Next to pitch
for a chance
to impress in Manchester
are 25-year-old chefs,
Joe and Aaron.
They think their high-end
Nepalese-Indian concept
called XXVI
could take a slice
of the £800 million
fine-dining market.
The dish we're making today
is a little cauliflower dish
that we've got,
and then hat's finished
with our family recipe
curry sauce.
[Joe] We'd love
to have a restaurant.
That's my ultimate
goal in life.
The name itself comes
from two numbers,
being 26 and six.
I lost my eldest brother
to meningitis,
and his lucky number
was 26.
And Aaron's mother passed away,
and her birthday was the 6th.
So it's about remembering
those that we've lost.
This is such
a huge deal for us.
We're so confident
in our food,
we know the flavors work,
we just can't wait to put
that plate down in front
of those investors
and for them to enjoy it.
[Fred] Joe and Aaron want
an investor who'll back them
with half a million pounds.
Do you understand the ethos
and what they are about?
Looking at the branding,
I wouldn't know what it is
if I just saw XXVI on a page.
And that's... That's concerning
when there is
so much competition
and so much noise
in the marketplace.
It's got lemon juice,
it's got peas, it's got dill,
it's got cauli,
it's got ricotta, it's got
sauce, table side, done.
-Yeah, ready to go.
-Ready to go.
Anyway, enough taking.
The food is ready.
-[Jamie] Hey, guys.
-[Atul] Welcome.
Thank you.
So we've got
homemade spiced ricotta,
some charred cauliflower,
some peas
and a family recipe
curry sauce.
-[Fred] Smells delicious.
-[Jamie] It does.
[Fred] Let's eat.
The flavor of the spices,
ricotta, sauce,
incredible.
What I actually like
about it as well,
it feels relatively simple
but tasted excellent.
What does XXVI stand for?
26 was big.
My late brother's lucky number.
I was very dubious
about the name
when I didn't understand
the background.
However, what a lot of
customers are looking for
in the market is soul, heart,
you know, real feeling
coming through.
That could be a strong suit.
I would just caution
the story is potentially
a little bit too serious.
After all,
we go out to have fun
and enjoy ourselves
-and sort of forget about
some of those issues.
-Yeah, of course.
You guys seem to be
incredibly talented chefs,
but I'm not really feeling
the fact that you're
exposed to business enough
to be able to carry through
a full restaurant.
We know around about the bases
to get us sort of started
and then, obviously,
if one of you guys
came on board
then it's that teaching
that we can obviously
get off yourselves.
But if we invested in you,
how do you think we would
get that money back?
-Good question.
-That's a long silence.
[all chuckling]
It's very daunting sat there
in front of those investors,
knowing they're the big boys
in the industry,
scrutinizing everything
that we've done.
[Fred] The last team dreaming
of their own restaurant brand
are couple Liz and Alec.
[Alec] Okay,
I've made yours spicy, yeah?
[laughing]
[Fred] Indian restaurant chains
grew by a fifth last year,
and they believe fast food
with Indian flavors will be
the next big thing.
[Alec] Baba G's serves
Indian-spiced burgers,
masala fries,
and tikka chicken nuggets.
[Fred] The couple have
been together nine years
and have a 6-year-old
son, Abe.
My daddy makes
the best burgers.
[interviewer] What's it like
working together?
-Terrible. [laughs]
-Awful. [laughing]
[Fred] They've built up
the business and now
run three stalls
in London's busiest
street markets.
When you see people
sitting around eating
trays of Baba G's,
it feels great,
'cause you've created that,
and they're loving it,
and that feels amazing.
-I can do this bit, Al.
-Okay, sorry.
[Alec]
We're doing our signature
Bhangra Burgers.
It's served in a brioche
naan-style bun,
filled with a bit of fresh
tamarind sauce and then
an onion bhaji,
finish it all off with
a bit of mint raita
and that's your Bhangra Burger.
[Fred] Liz and Alec
want £300,000
from an investor to set up
not one but two restaurants.
Indian's one of the most
popular cuisines in the UK,
and if you put a burger
onto any menu it'll be
your top-selling item.
This is closhing,
it's just to get the steam
through the burger
so it's cooking from the inside
and the outside as well.
It's not very often
you get in front of people
who can really
help push it forward.
We're going to feel nervous
when you're stood in front of
people bearing your heart out
about your last decade's work,
I suppose,
but let's see.
Let me bring them in here.
-[Charlie] Hey.
-Hi, there.
-Hi.
-[Jamie] Wow, look at that.
[Chris] Thank you so much.
[Liz] That's a Bhangra Burger.
[Fred] Let's eat.
[Fred] Ooh.
Yeah, the sauce
on the side is our...
-Naga chili.
-Naga chili. It's really hot.
-That needs to come
with a warning.
-You've killed Fred.
My God, that's really...
I just tried a bit of it.
Investors, can I ask your first
impressions about the food?
I own a group of, uh,
probably the best burger
group in the country,
so I think I know
a little bit about burgers.
I think this was great.
I thought actually
the patty was a bit coarse
for my liking
in terms of the grind.
Do you make that yourselves?
-We do make the patties
ourselves, yes.
-We make the patties.
You make the patties
yourself, okay.
But I thought it was
very good. I thought
it was great.
The flavors are there,
spectacular flavors.
And the Naga chili pickle,
wow, the affect
was amazing here.
[Liz laughing]
What is the idea?
What is the customer
experience going to be?
We are very good at doing
fast casual dining
in high footfall areas.
So we're looking to open,
like, two smaller outlets
that's true to what
our experience is.
Can you answer the question.
Is it table service?
-We're not sure at this--
-Or is it counter service?
We are not sure
at this point.
We want to be somewhere
between a Wahaca,
where it is table service--
I'm hearing on the one hand
only a few tables.
But to do Wahaca
you need 150 seats.
Going forward I'd like to
get bigger... We would
like to get bigger sites.
Just stay to what
we're asking for now.
Sorry.
If you choose these two guys,
you know, to go to Manchester
and run the pop-up
for a couple of days,
what do you want to see?
Kind of like to understand
whether you can operate
as an all-day brand.
[Alec] Yes, yes.
[Atul] Clearly I would like
to see more food from them.
Drinks is going to be
the major offering from me,
because that is real money,
in my opinion.
Decide what you want
to do with the brand
in terms of service,
in terms of type of site.
At the moment,
I don't really know what
I would be investing in.
We've built this up from
an original investment
of £3,000.
We've made a lot of
mistakes over the years,
and we feel like now's
the time that we can use
other people's money
and not make mistakes
with theirs.
[all laughing]
No, not make mistakes
with theirs!
Foot in mouth.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you.
-Thank you, guys.
-Thank you for your time.
[Liz] I do feel relieved
now that we're out.
I thought it went well.
We were honest
as we could be,
and I put my foot
in my mouth a few times,
but that's kind of me
anyway, so...
Investors, we just had
three very strong ideas
presented in front of us.
We have to decide,
who is going to Manchester?
The investors will choose
the best idea by majority vote
but can pull out
if they're not interested.
So first, let's talk about...
I can't even say it. [laughs]
-XXVI.
-[Charlie] That's the problem.
[Atul]
They can cook, definitely.
The flavors were good.
Conceptualizing of the dish
was very good.
[Chris] I actually think
they had the best food.
But the team,
I would be worried if they
really could go out
and launch a restaurant.
For Atul to say that
flavors were great,
'cause he's like obviously
a Michelin-starred Indian chef
and that was...
That was huge for us.
Charlie, what about Krapow?
It's not a refined dish
by any stretch
of the imagination,
but I can see that brand
as a combination of grab-and-go
and fast casual.
How do you see it
as grab-and-go?
In what way?
Well, you come in
and order at the counter
and they stick it in the box
and give it to you.
[Jamie]
Bolognese and rice in it.
-So you think
there's potential here?
-I do, yeah.
I think they have
the personality,
they have a good understanding
of business as well.
Two people absolutely
loved the branding,
two of them were
like no, hate it.
What about Baba G?
You know, there's not
many people that's doing
that style of cuisine
and yet it's something
that appeals to quite
a large group of people,
so I really liked that.
I think all them
generally liked our concept,
didn't they?
-It was just when
we started to...
-Talk.
[all laughing]
Or maybe me.
I felt that Krapow
was very well-disciplined
but the food was disappointing.
But I found Baba G's food
compelling but I thought
they were chaotic.
Would I trust them
with £300,000
and scale of restaurants,
-that's a question.
-Right.
One of these businesses
has to go to Manchester.
Who is it gonna be?
[Fred] Someone is about
to be a step closer
to the dream
of their own restaurant.
You've all made
a very, very good impression
and, um, the investors
were split.
It was very interesting
to see them debate,
you know, businesses.
But anyway, they have
made a decision.
The idea that, for them,
has the most
investment potential
is Baba G.
Baba G, for me,
is the most natural fit
for my skill set.
It translates into
a casual dining environment
very easily,
and I think
I can add value.
They had raw talent
and also, they started
with three grand,
they now have three venues.
Clearly, they've worked out
how to make money.
It was a burger.
Bollywood, boisterous, big.
All fantastic things,
to be honest.
And they're ready to move
to the next level.
How do you feel?
Amazing.
This will give us
the opportunity to kind of
show them that we do know
the vision for Baba G's.
Shall I tell you which
of the investors
think your ideas
has the most
investment potential?
-Yes, definitely.
-Yes, absolutely.
-Charlie McVeigh.
-[Alec] Yeah?
-Jamie Barber.
-Ooh.
-Atul Kochhar.
-Ooh!
Chris Miller,
unfortunately, is out.
But you've got three
out of four.
There are lots of disasters
and lots of ups and downs
when you open a restaurant,
and I need to be able
to see that those guys
can really drag it from
an idea into a restaurant.
And they didn't turn up
with that certainty.
You really have to nail down
the feedback that they've
given you, right?
Without forgetting drinks,
because this is
a big part of the business,
and this is how
you can turn a profit.
Think about your vision,
what does your restaurant
look like?
What is the customer journey
from the moment they walk
through the door to the
moment that they leave?
And you two have to sing
from the same song sheet.
I think we'll take from this.
We'll actually have to start
agreeing for once in our lives.
[all laughing]
-Good luck.
-Thank you.
Good luck.
-Take care, see you later.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
-[Liz laughing]
[Fred] Baba G has made it
to Manchester.
They've got two days
to convince the investors that
they are worth investing in.
All they have to do
is run a restaurant.
Should be easy.
Tonight, Liz and Alec will
open to the paying public
and the couple are about
to see their new restaurant
for the first time.
Look at the big sign.
Can you see the sign?
-Oh, wow.
-My heart...
Oh, my God.
[Fred] They've been working
with a designer so that
they can show the investors
their vision of Baba G's.
Perfect.
-[Alec] Oh, wow.
-That's perfect.
I love the pink light.
[Alec chuckling]
[Fred] For the next 48 hours...
Tell me if it's level, Liz.
Yep, that is, yes.
...the investors will watch
Liz and Alec work
under pressure.
Only then will they decide
whether they're worth
an investment.
To be able
to get the investment
and for this to actually
become a reality,
to see it all is,
yeah, overwhelming.
-Bit choked up.
-Yeah.
[both chuckling]
One Lamb Jalfrezi,
one club naanwich.
[Fred] 37-year-old Alec
grew up in Birmingham,
where his mum introduced him
to a world of Indian spices.
And some fries over here
when you get a sec.
[Fred] He started Baba G's
ten years ago,
and only a few months later,
met Liz who was working
on another stall.
If you ever needed
to know where Alec was,
you would generally find him
laughing, eating,
and creating a fun atmosphere
and vibe everywhere
that he went.
[Alec]
How long on your burgers?
Liz is definitely
the rock in the business.
I couldn't do it without her.
Don't tell her that though.
[laughing]
At some points
it's been a real struggle.
We were spending
a lot of time running round,
knackering yourself out,
running from festival
to festival,
with very little to show
at the end of it.
The realization of how
tough it was, was when
our son came along.
I think even when
I came out of hospital,
Alec had to go out
because at the last minute
we had a job
that was gonna basically
pay our rent for the month.
It was really hand-to-mouth.
[Alec]
Everything we do is with
Abe in mind, you know.
Mmm. I like it.
We want to leave something,
a legacy behind, that can
help him in any way.
[Alec] Hey, Baba G!
[Fred] Liz and Alec
have asked some of their loyal
staff from their street stalls
to come and help them
win investment.
[Alec] This is
an amazing opportunity.
We owe it not just to us
but to the staff that have been
with us for such a long time.
It's about eight hours
till we open and a lot to do.
Right, let's get to it.
[Vanina]
It's an important day
for Liz and Alec.
Feel like it's our duty
to make sure like
we're all prepared.
They can be stressed
and we just have to reassure
them we've got their backs.
[Alec] We're gonna do
two of the chocolate.
We're gonna do
a half of cinnamon.
[Fred] During the pitch
the investors asked
about their drinks offering,
so Alec has been concocting
some alcoholic milkshakes.
We've got the vanilla cardamom
and rum barbar.
We're just gonna scoop
in the scoopdy scoop of that
and hope for the best.
Right, let's try it.
If this can't get the investors
to part with that 300 grand,
nothing will.
-How are you?
-Hi, Alec.
-Yeah, very well. Yourself?
-Feeling good?
Yeah, very well.
You're looking amazing!
How are you?
-Yeah, good.
-How do you feel?
-Nervous.
-Do you?
Yeah, there's that buzz
of electric kind of...
Energy. Can't believe
it's happening right now.
-You must be excited?
-Yeah, very excited.
And so you know you've got
three major investors
who are all gonna experience
Baba G in a restaurant setting.
The only variable that I...
That I...
That is making
me slightly nervous
is just making sure that,
because we don't do sit-down,
is that the whole actual
table service runs fluidly.
You've got to run
this operation, I mean,
you've run it in muddy fields.
But it's going to be
very different,
it's going to be like theater.
It's got to be choreographed
and everybody's got to know
what they've got to do.
-Yeah.
-If you do that,
-you are gonna win.
-[Liz] Yes.
[Fred] But of course,
service is only
half the battle.
I want to know if Liz and Alec
have changed their menu
since meeting the investors.
[Alec]
The feedback we got
was about obviously,
the burgers, um,
they were saying
our grind was quite coarse.
So we decided
to double grind
and it still
wasn't quite there,
so we did try a triple grind
against the advice
of our butcher
and found that
we really liked it.
But what about the recipe?
Is the recipe the same?
We've kept the recipe
the same, yeah.
We toast off
some cumin seeds,
um, we put dried chili flakes.
And a bit of coriander.
I mean, obviously,
with the meat
and with the burger
the worst thing you can do
is get salt through the mix
because it just pulls
all the fat out
and all the juice
out of the burger
before you cook it.
This is our Baba G
secret spice mix.
[Fred] What's the spice here?
Yeah, well,
that would be telling.
-Come on.
-[laughs]
I'm not gonna tell anyone.
[laughing]
And then straight
onto the grill just like that.
The UK burger market is worth
a staggering 3.3 billion
and Baba G
want a piece of it.
They think they can bring
something new and fresh
to this already crowded space.
In fact, their whole menu
is packed with Indian twists
on familiar fast food dishes.
Tonight, they've got
tikka chicken nuggets
and fries for £9.
Poppadoms have been fused
with nachos to create "Pachos,"
for £6.
And for vegans,
they've created a Baba Bowl
curry for £12.
Let me show you something.
Baba G's normally sell
their burger for £8
when they are on the stall.
Here they are selling them
for £12.50,
but they've added
the fries within the price.
This could be very clever.
The customer is paying
for fries whether they
want them or not,
and fries are an item
with great profit margin.
But will the investors agree?
Two weeks after
the investors first had
a taste of Baba G's,
they're in Manchester
for more.
Over the next two days,
they'll put Liz and Alec's
business plan, service
and food to the test.
Tomorrow evening,
if they like what they see,
there might even be
a fight to invest.
First to arrive
is Jamie Barbour,
who's backed a string
of successful brands.
He's after concepts that can
make money now times
are tough on the high street.
So in the old days
the sales were here,
your costs were here
and your profit was
everything in the middle.
Now what's happening
is that there's been a big
pressure on the top line
through over-competition,
through Deliveroo,
through Uber Eats,
through millennials
choosing other things to do,
so the top line
has gone like this,
and at the same time
minimum wage has gone up,
rates have been revalued,
rent reviews have taken place,
the exchange rate means
that everything's
more expensive to purchase.
So the costs have gone
like that and then suddenly
that bit in the middle
is not a profit anymore,
it's a loss.
So whenever I'm looking
at a new idea at the moment,
I'm looking at how can
that idea navigate
through those pressures.
[Fred] Michelin-starred chef
and investor Atul Kochhar
believes there's a strong
market for fusion food.
The new generation,
their definition of authentic
is very, very different.
They want to have
more flavors,
they want to have
more textures.
You have to come up
with a great combination.
Baba G's is a quirky project.
He has inspired himself
on India, but it's new India.
Whether people in the UK
will think it's authentic
Indian or not,
I don't think any one of us
gives a toss about it,
to be honest,
because we like our flavors.
British-Indian food Mark II,
it's here. Baba G is that.
[Fred] Charlie McVeigh
has established five different
food and drink businesses.
His last pub chain
sold for £16 million.
I think there's very limited
sectors in the market
that don't enjoy eating burgers
and don't enjoy
eating Indian food.
You would expect
student towns to do well,
you would expect millennials
to want to eat it,
but also mums and dads
with their kids.
To get a business like Baba G's
from its street-food origins
into bricks and mortar
could cost anything
from £200,000 to £500,000.
If the business plan is right,
I will find that money.
Okay, guys, we're gonna come
and have a quick briefing,
just gonna get everything
in order before we start.
[Fred] Experienced local
waiting staff are joining
Baba G's team.
Tonight will be
their soft launch,
where real customers
will pay half price.
We are really used to
like fast, quick service,
but not as a sit-down.
So this is where
you're integral to
our night running well.
The idea is that
we're still trying to be
a fast food outlet
so that everyone
does have to sit
at their seat,
look through the menu
and then go up to the bar
and make your order
at the bar.
And their booking
is for half an hour.
[Fred] I admire Baba G's
as much as I worry for them.
They've got 171
customers booked,
30 minutes planned
per person at the table.
How are they
going to pull this off?
I think this is the bit
where we just,
we wait for it all to happen.
All the elements are there
and it's all been put on
and it's all gonna happen.
-[Alec] Okay, are we all ready?
-Yes.
[Fred] Alec studied
architecture at university
but gave it up to follow
his passion for food.
I absolutely love what I do,
but we've learned our trade
the hard way, you know.
We've done setting up
in the snow, rain, the hail.
We wanna create
a more secure future.
It's now or never, I'd say.
[Fred] Tonight
a new restaurant is opening
in Manchester. Baba G.
The investors are coming in
and will be watching
their every move.
You ready?
Everything ready?
You ready?
Everyone know
what they're doing?
Oh, this is the most
nervous wait of my life.
Good evening,
welcome to Baba G's.
Well, great. Come with me.
I'm nervous. We've got
our first customers!
Idea is that you take a moment
to make your order choice.
Make your way up to
the front to where the till is
and place your order.
So can we start with
the Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi?
Nice. Very nice.
We've got a
Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi...
We'll have some Pachos.
[waitress]
Your paneer saag naan.
I really like
the fried chicken nuggets
and then I have
the same on this,
it's like chicken tikka.
How's it going?
-It's beautiful.
-Do you like it?
[woman] That's amazing.
Yeah, especially
an Indian burger,
it's really nice.
It's clean and fresh.
Really tasty.
[Fred] Baba G's
is off to a flyer,
but as more and more
orders come in...
Have we got another table of
two that have come in?
I think table three
in about five minutes.
[Fred] ...the kitchen
has hit its first glitch.
Is this my
chicken tikka naanwich?
Yeah, uh...
No. We're missing an order.
We're missing an order.
We've actually got a couple
of missing orders here
that have been put
through as takeaway,
but with actually
no table numbers
attached to them.
You already had some food or...
No, just waiting now.
Think it's on the bench
ready to come out.
Let me just check.
You're table nine.
Give me one second.
What's happening
with all of this?
Look, people are
giving us orders
without table numbers.
Table nine, please,
how long?
[Alec]
We've got a lot of orders
without table numbers on.
Order 27 no table number,
order 21 no table number,
order 29 no table number!
Table nine has ordered
half an hour ago,
that's why I'm asking.
Would you mind
to check table nine there,
what did they order
and where is the order
because it's not here,
and they arrived
half an hour ago.
-Give me a second, yeah.
-Yeah.
Right.
-What table are you, madam?
-Number eleven.
Nice.
One mango spice slaw
and one chicken tikka
nuggets sides please.
[Fred] Staff are now
making sure every order
is given a table number,
but the delay to service
has highlighted
a much bigger problem.
There's a little bit of
a wait on the table.
If I can get you
to take a seat.
We thought that
it was going to be more
like the street food,
where people are in and out
within 30 minutes.
Once you put a plate
in front of them,
that is not the case.
People are relaxing,
especially in an evening,
they're taking an hour
to turn the table.
It's been about 45 minutes
we've been waiting.
-Since you arrived?
-Since I arrived.
Ordered two drinks.
Haven't received one,
still haven't been seated.
[Fred] Customers are
growing impatient.
But Liz has been smart.
She's kept one table free.
7:30.
The investors are here
to find out if Baba G's
is worth their money.
When groups of people
come out,
we look out for something
which we call the handbrake.
There's usually one person
who doesn't like
the core offer,
doesn't like burgers,
and unless you can
cater for that person,
they will cause the handbrake,
they will stop that whole
group from going out.
So I want to make sure
that they can cater
for people that don't want
their core burger offer.
-Hello!
-Hello.
Hello, there. Are you okay?
[Liz] Been waiting for
you three gentlemen.
I do see
that Charlie and Jamie
would come and compete
with me on this one.
No doubt about it.
But if I like the idea enough,
I will fight very hard for it.
-Hampers all ready
waiting for you.
-Where do you want us?
I've come here
to find an investment.
If I'm interested, I'm sure
there will be other investors
that will be interested.
So this is an
experience and a half.
-Yeah!
-I have to say.
I'm a fan of Jamie Barber
and of Atul Kochhar,
but if you don't wanna
beat the other guy,
why are you doing it?
So your table number
is number ten.
So you just need
to let them know.
Is that how you do it?
You can order at the till?
And turning to the side
you see a queue over there.
Can I leave you gentlemen
to order and I will go
and deal with them?
-Best of luck.
-Thank you.
[Charlie] I'm quite impressed
with the menu.
I think it looks good.
It's interesting, but it's not
so wacky that you're frightened
or threatened by it.
You kind of instinctively
know what everything is.
[Atul] Let's do it, guys.
There we go.
Another portion of nuggets.
One sec. The next order
is the investors, yeah.
It's gonna come now.
I mean, I always find
this quite irritating,
this part of the journey.
[Atul] To order?
But I know that people
are accustomed to it.
-Hi. Table ten.
-Hi, guys. I am ready.
Thank you so much,
table number ten.
Okay.
Okay, so investor order.
One Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi,
one chikka tikken burger,
one Naga deli burger.
And some milkshakes, please.
I'll have the vanilla
cardamom one
and the baba
chocolate chai as well.
The club naanwich,
the tikka fried naanwich,
the paneer saag naanwich,
the Baba Bowl,
the Pachos
and the mango spice slaw.
[chef]
We make one of everything.
One of everything, yeah.
Do you mind paying?
We've gotta pay, yeah.
I don't have any...
[chuckles]
-Atul.
-I'll pay, I'll pay.
[Fred] While the investors
wait for their order,
Liz has been working on
ways to clear the queues.
In street food people
kind of eat together,
so I've kind of gone through
and just asked people,
so people are starting
to share tables when
they become available.
What's happening
is you're coming for
a romantic date here.
And then you end up
as a foursome now.
So why are you
sharing a table?
They asked us whether
or not we'd like to wait
for a table for two,
or if we wouldn't
mind a share, so...
Oh, well, that's
quite a good solution.
At least you're
gonna get to eat.
Yes, finally.
I mean, let's be honest here.
It's really chaotic,
but Liz and Alec
are being creative.
They're finding solutions,
and people are still happy.
They love the food.
So what's not to love
about Baba G's?
[Alec] Okay,
everything perfect, mate.
Investor burgers, yeah.
[Charlie] What we haven't
discussed is the drinks list,
which is a revelation,
and it's something that
we asked for
a couple of weeks ago
and it shows that
they're very responsive.
-[Atul] They are responsive.
-I think it's good.
I think it's good.
Chicken burger.
We're gonna kind of share
everything in a very,
very intimate way.
So is it all right to just
put them in the middle?
I don't watch
anybody eat my food,
so I'm certainly
not going to watch
the investors eat my food.
[Charlie]
The best-looking burger
is the vegetarian burger.
-[Atul] Quality is there.
-You're in business
at the moment.
Oh, look, here comes
the Baba Bowl.
As a vegan, again,
you're getting the best
looking dish in the house.
It's really, really cool.
Now that looks good.
Beautifully cooked.
-This is terrific.
-Really good.
So, last time I spoke
to them I found the...
The grind quite coarse.
And it certainly
seems finer.
I think it needs
more salt.
It needs more seasoning.
-How are you guys?
-Hello.
So...
So, listen, we were just saying
that on the whole
I think they pulled off
a very impressive show.
-Definitely.
-It's very busy.
[Jamie] It's great fun.
The service is
as chaotic as it gets.
People have been sharing tables
with people they didn't know.
I tell you something,
I mean, they are
really ambitious.
The food, it was great,
-but not everything
is perfect.
-Sure.
So there are lots of things
which needs tweaking.
I think little tweaks
here and there, and you've
got a concept here.
I'm really not worried
about the service,
I think they've done
an amazing job.
I've got issues
with the price point.
I think £12.50
for a burger and fries
in a lot of parts of the UK
is gonna be too much.
However, I thought
it was going to be
a complete car crash.
-[Jamie] I agree.
-Tonight.
And it's far from it.
Yes, there have been some
tables waiting and so on,
but I've also seen
lots of people
enjoying the food.
I'm excited about it.
I've never felt a really
deep connection
to the brand.
I like the food,
I don't love it.
So, for me,
it's gonna come down to,
do the numbers stack up?
[Charlie]
Alec, how you doing?
You're not even sweating.
[laughing]
In terms of food,
the presentation,
the way they have
conceptualized the dishes,
they're all very good.
There are small tweaks
to be had, no doubt about it,
but otherwise,
very impressive experience.
You guys have put out
very high-quality food...
-Oh, thank you.
-...in a crazy setting.
[Jamie] I think
dinner was very tasty.
Yes, I was impressed
with the food.
Yes, I was impressed
by the execution,
but I've still
got to be impressed
by their financial acumen.
[Alec] Anybody else
want a drink?
I need one.
-Well done.
-Cheers.
Well done.
Wow, that was a tough night,
but you've got to give it
to Liz and Alec.
They gave it all they had.
And they impressed me,
and I think that they've
impressed the investors.
They're still in the running
for that investment tomorrow.
[Fred] It's the final day,
but things aren't about
to get any easier.
In a few hours,
the investors will be back
for another full service.
They will want to know
how Baba G's performs
as a lunchtime option.
But first, Liz and Alec
face business meetings
to interrogate their
financial strategy.
As the investors
are in competition
with each other,
they'll each have an hour
alone with the couple.
[Jamie] I've seen a very small
snapshot of what these
guys can put across.
I'm excited about
what I've seen, but there's
a large number
of unanswered questions.
I like the concept,
I like the people,
I like their integrity.
But each and every business
is run by the numbers.
If I was to invest money,
can I trust them?
[Charlie]
It's vitally important
they know how to make money.
If they can't deliver profit,
not only will they not be
able to grow the business,
they're gonna go bankrupt.
[Fred] Liz and Alec came
looking for £300,000
to open two sites.
But if their figures
don't impress,
the investors
could walk away.
Let me make
a couple of comments
about the business plan,
which I suspect
you're going to have to
rip up and start again.
Last night you took £3,000-ish?
Does that sound about right?
And you were absolutely packed.
What your business plan
is presenting
means that you have to do
what you did last night,
and more, lunch and dinner
every day, seven days a week.
So, that ain't gonna work.
What I'm concerned about is
300K will let you open
two more sites
and those places would pump,
you are saying 3.7 million.
You know,
it's projections and...
[Atul]
I totally understand.
But these are the numbers
I'm looking at.
[Alec] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
These are the numbers
you have given me to look at.
I've got to say
whether I want to invest
with you or not.
Totally understand, yes.
Alec and Liz are doing
all they can to give
a good impression in there.
They believe in the concept,
but will the investors
feel the same?
[Charlie]
So the fundamental
issue I've got
is what this thing's
gonna be.
What is the model?
What's the customer journey?
I'm gonna put the bar here,
let's get a sign here
so that when they walk in...
Put it in the business plan
and say this is what
we're gonna do.
-Okay.
-Right.
And then, I look at that
and I go, "Oh!
-They know what they're doing!"
-[Alec] Yeah.
I don't know if you know
what you're doing.
The quality of the food
is important,
but it's actually only
quite a small part
of the overall package.
What I want to see is what
the customer experience is
and how that translates
into the numbers,
and I haven't had that yet.
We've got a very clear vision,
but it's just about
having the time to actually
sit down and do it,
while running all other
parts of your business.
The issue I have with that,
it's not a good excuse
because there's nothing
more important than
getting this right.
Yeah.
I think you've got many
of the right ingredients,
but until I really have
a sense and an idea
of what are the fails,
what are the profits
from that business,
how's it all gonna work?
I don't think I can invest.
Okay.
I can help with the numbers.
But ultimately,
I've got no idea
whether they actually
understand their business
model or not.
If I got a feeling
that they really got
what could happen
in one restaurant,
how that restaurant's gonna be,
how much money
it's gonna make,
and it was believable,
I'd be in.
But they've given me
no such impression.
[Liz]
That was stressful.
We were talked at
a lot more than us
being able to contribute.
[Alec] Yeah.
[Liz]
Alec and I feel very sure
of our vision of Baba G's.
We know what we want
our customers to feel,
but we just haven't
articulated it.
[Fred] Charlie might be gone,
but the remaining investors
can choose to spell out
the offer they would make if,
and only if,
they decide to invest tonight.
Jamie believes that Liz
and Alec have overestimated
their potential sales,
so he's got a plan
to minimize the risk.
The casual dining market
is distressed at the moment,
and there are lots
of opportunities to pick up
somebody else's failed
fully fitted-out restaurant
for very little money.
Because even
1,000 square-foot restaurant
you're gonna end up spending
several hundred thousand pounds
on fitting that out
as a restaurant.
So, if I was minded
to make an offer,
I think it would be
in the region of £150,000
to £200,000
to establish a first unit.
But I wanna see today
whether the guests
respond to your food
as a kind of
lunchtime visit
as well as just an
evening experience.
-[Alec] Yeah, thank you.
-Yeah.
The business plan
that they had presented
was fiction.
However, their fundamental
proposition is clever,
and I think I've got
a good sense as to what their
margins should be or could be.
So I think if you put
the normal restaurant
metrics behind it,
you can make
a successful business
from this proposition.
[Atul] Going forward,
if I was to invest in this,
I would invest 300,000.
That'll get you started
with two sites at least,
as you have mentioned.
But I would love
to come back for lunch today
and see how food comes out.
The consistency
has to be there.
-That's what I want to see.
-Yes.
How you doing?
[Vanina]
Very well, how are you?
So we've got
two investors coming,
one's dropped out.
Did they say why they're out
and any improvements?
Uh, there's nothing
we can do now.
[Alec] Okay, guys.
It's 2:00!
Service starting!
[Fred] Liz and Alec
are about to open for lunch.
[Liz] Hello, there,
how are you doing?
-Can I take your name?
-Emily.
[Liz] To come through
this experience,
the more you go through it
the more you want it.
The more you realize
being in an area like this,
seeing all the big brands
and seeing this outcome
could mean that we are
up there among them
in the years to come.
Yeah. This is the difference
between us
getting investment
and not getting investment.
[Fred] Today, the public
will pay full price.
[Liz] Hi, guys.
Welcome to Baba G.
[Fred] And the investors
will be want to know what
they make of Baba G's.
The Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi burger?
It seems a lot calmer.
I think people know
what they're doing.
One Lamb Jalfrezi,
one club naanwich.
I don't know what's
in this but it's gorgeous.
It's spicy, beautiful,
juicy, nice.
[Fred] Atul and Jamie
both need good answers
to big questions
if they are to invest tonight.
No restaurant at the moment
can afford to survive
on Thursday, Friday
and Saturday nights.
Those days are over.
These restaurants
need to sweat every hour
that they are open.
I wanna to see how
other customers take to
this concept at lunch.
-[Liz] Ah, hello, again!
-Fancy seeing you here.
-Are you okay? All right.
-How you doing?
So as an investment
I always look for one word,
and that is the consistency.
The first plate of food
should look exactly the same
as the last plate of the food
that comes out the kitchen.
That's the critical key
to grow the brand to ten
or 12 restaurants.
Hello, Liz, how are you?
[Liz] I'm all right.
What's a nice light
dish for lunch?
Light. I would go for...
Go for the Baba Bowl.
The Baba Bowl. Okay.
Looking at a four-minute
turnout for the order,
so it's going quite well.
I've been recommended
the Baba Bowl
but I'm not gonna
go for that.
I'm gonna go for
the chicken naanwich.
Next order.
Another naanwich.
[Fred]
They've placed their orders.
Now Atul and Jamie
are conducting important
firsthand customer research.
-[Atul] How is the lunch?
-Best burger I've ever had.
-Oh, really? Wow.
-Easy.
The bhaji on the top,
the texture...
-Yeah.
-Very good.
-You quite like that?
-Yeah.
[Jamie] Did it feel
an easy choice for lunch?
Lunch, yeah,
it was perfect.
Obviously, I've had
burgers before,
but this is really unusual.
It is. That sort of Korean
chili kick is great.
I'm a vegetarian, and there's
definitely loads that I would
pick here again and again,
so I think
it's a really good idea.
And would you come back
for lunch here?
I would absolutely come back.
The food was delicious,
the portions were great,
but quite heavy for a lunch.
Thank you.
[Fred] Jamie's had
mostly good reviews
for Baba G's as a lunch option.
And Atul is about
to put Baba G's consistency
to the test.
[Atul] Fabulous.
How are you, Atul?
Are you enjoying your meal?
Food is actually
as good as yesterday.
The quality is the same.
There are some
basic tweaks needed.
I still have to think through
whether I'm going to put my
hand in the pocket or not.
Well, look, I'm going
to give you a deadline.
You have until seven o'clock
tonight to come back
and make them an offer.
-Good luck. See you later.
-Thank you.
See you later, Fred.
[Fred]
He's talked to customers.
Now Jamie's testing Baba G's
as a lunch option himself.
It's a chicken tikka naanwich.
It's all kind of falling apart,
chips are quite cold.
It's not as well-executed
as yesterday.
[Liz] Can I join you?
-Liz.
-How are you feeling
second time round?
Well, to be totally honest,
the experience today
wasn't as good as yesterday.
Right.
I ordered a naanwich
and the naan was quite cold
and dry and crumbly.
And it was
sort of falling apart.
The chips were quite cold
and a bit congealed
like they'd been sitting out
on the pass for a while.
-So, it was--
-That doesn't sound good.
I would have expected that
the poorer execution
would have happened
when you were slammed
with 170 covers.
So I'm not quite sure
why it wasn't perfect.
Spoke to Jamie.
It seems that his food
wasn't really on point today.
His naan bread
was crumbly and dry,
his chicken was cold,
his fries were cold.
-Jamie. How's your lunch?
-Fred.
Um, my lunch is okay.
Oh, but loved it yesterday?
[Liz] It feels like
he's backing out.
It feels like
he's backing out?
Is that what he said?
This service hasn't
propelled us further
and in fact...
-It's set us back.
-It's set us back.
And that's a really
disappointing feeling
right at this minute.
Are you still
considering in investing?
I'm still considering,
uh, investing,
but I have a feeling
this whole project is going
to take more time and effort
than I had
originally anticipated.
One of the investors
said he had a really bad meal.
I don't know what happened
but whatever,
not great.
They've done
all the hard work here,
now the pressure is on you.
You've got to decide
whether you're going to make
an offer later on tonight.
-Yes.
-You've gotta think.
I'm gonna think.
I leave you to it, Jamie.
Good luck.
See you later.
I'm in the same situation
that I was this morning
which is,
these guys are great.
I think the concept
is really good,
I think it needs
a lot of refinement,
the menu needs broadening
for lunch,
all can be resolved.
But fundamentally,
I'm not used to being
asked to make
any kind of investment
without a business plan
and a very, very
clear proposition
of what they're going
to do with the money and when
we're going to get it back.
I've got nothing to trust
except for my gut instinct.
[Liz] I feel fallen.
-Deflated?
-Deflated after
so much hard work.
Thank you again, guys.
-Thank you for coming.
-It was good fun.
So, hopefully,
I will see you soon.
-Thanks a lot.
-Thanks, Jamie.
Bye, thank you.
Feeling like all of it's...
We've kind of almost had it
and now we've lost it.
Alec, thank you buddy.
Good luck.
Thank you.
-Liz, thanks a lot.
-Thank you.
See you again.
Thanks for the meal.
Thank you.
[Alec] I don't know
if either of them
are coming back.
I don't know if any of them
are coming back. Who knows?
I'm not saying no to it.
However, I'm mindful that
I'm a little limited
in my information,
so I have to go a lot
with my gut feeling
whether I feel right
to go and take this
punt or not.
Thank you all so much.
Thank you for coming
all the way from London
and thank you guys
for joining us.
[all clapping]
I think that
we've lost Jamie
-and that--
-The balance is on...
-It's whether Atul--
-The jury's out with Atul.
-So we'll see.
-We'll see.
[Fred] Lunch is over.
Now all Liz and Alec
can do is wait.
They came here looking
for £300,000.
The pressure is on
the investors now.
They have to make a decision.
They've got until
seven o'clock to come back
and make you an offer.
If more than
one investor returns,
Liz and Alec will have to
choose between offers.
But if no one comes in,
they'll be back
to their market stalls.
How do you feel?
Kind of goes ups and downs
from really nervous to...
it will be what it will be.
[sighs]
What's going through your mind?
You know, either way,
it's been a great
experience, you know.
Either way
Baba G's will continue.
Oh.
Hello.
-Fancy seeing you here.
-[all laughing]
-[Liz] Oh, my God.
-How you doing?
-Jamie.
-Hello!
-Hello, there.
-How are you?
Hi, how are you?
-You okay?
Exhausting day?
-Yeah.
-Couple of days?
-[Alec] Exhausted!
[Jamie]
Well, lovely to see you.
Lovely to see you.
Before you carry on
the conversation,
can I just say, Jamie,
I'm so sorry but you know
we've got a deadline
of seven o'clock.
We wanna give
a chance to Atul
to turn up on time.
-I'm still nervous.
-Still nervous.
-Oh!
-[Atul] Hello!
-[Alec] Wow.
-Hello, guys.
-How are you?
-[Alec] Hi!
[Atul] Oh, somebody's
not happy to see me.
[all laughing]
-How are you?
-Very well, thank you.
-How are you, Liz?
-Yes.
-Good to see you, sir.
-And you, too.
-Here we go.
-[Fred] Please can you
take a seat?
Jamie came in first,
so I think it's fair that we
hear from you first, Jamie.
What is your offer
and what is your vision
for Baba G's?
If we manage to identify
the right restaurant for you,
a fully fitted-out restaurant,
and we both agree that
it's the right opportunity,
and we believe
in the business plan,
then my offer
is an investment
of £200,000
to take that forward.
-Thank you.
-Thank you so much.
Atul, your turn now.
[Atul] Right, guys.
Your product is good.
You both are good.
I do believe that
this concept has got legs.
Maybe we can make
this concept go really big.
Based on that,
I would like to offer you
an investment of...
£300,000.
If 300,000 can fund
two restaurants,
I would love that.
Wow.
Thank you both
very much for your offer.
You need to take
a moment together
and discuss
which of the offer
you think is the best
and the most suited to you.
-[Liz] Okay.
-[Alec] Thank you.
[Alec]
The kudos from Atul...
[Liz] And his understanding
of the food and, imagine,
Atul Kochhar helping develop
our Baba G's range.
-I am torn because
-But...
it just keeps weighing
in my head about the fact
that Jamie has so much
knowledge literally
in our industry.
Right, the tables
are turned now.
What's your decision?
We've really thought
hard about this.
Um, we're gonna...
We're gonna go with Atul.
Whoo-hoo!
Congratulations.
Well done. Wise choice.
Thank you.
Did Baba G's
choose the right man?
I think yes, absolutely.
The moment I saw
this product in London,
I thought, "It's me."
They are a great team,
and they need some direction,
they need some tweaking.
In a lot of ways
I see my story within them.
I can't wait to get cracking.
[all] To Baba G's.
Good on them. I think
they're an Indian concept
and they have the opportunity
to work with
one of the greatest
Indian chefs in the country,
so hats off to them.
They're gonna do well,
whatever happens.
I'm pleased it worked out.
Cheers!
[Alec] It's nice how
the tables have turned.
I've never really had
to reject an investor before,
that was a bit weird.
I hate rejecting people.
That's how I got in there.
[both laughing]
I'd really like to thank you
for playing a part
in the experience.
Because we got it!
[all yelling]
[Alec] This is the start
of a whole new chapter
in Baba G's.
Relationships go through
up and down and as
the business goes down,
generally the relationship
goes down and as
the business goes up,
your relationship goes up.
And right now
we're really on an up.
I might even
get some nooky tonight,
you never know.
[laughing]
Wow, 300 grand!
Whoa, that was
a roller-coaster.
I mean, clearly,
there's something
so special about Baba G's.
And now that Alec and Liz
have their investment,
it's their time,
and I wish them
the best of luck.
I'm having a bit of
a nightmare right now.
Starting to shake.
[man 1] I'm really hoping
they say nice things,
'cause I've got
quite a fragile ego.
What is this, please?
[man 2]
This is the Halen Leek,
and it's served
with edible dirt.
Is he crazy, is he a genius?
I have absolutely no idea.
yours spicy, yeah?
Bhaji? No worries,
thank you.
[Fred] Many of us dream
of owning our own restaurant...
Duck wrap? Yep.
Hot one? Yep.
But some people
are determined
to make it a reality.
Thank you.
There's nothing like this
out there.
We left our jobs
to follow our dream.
I want to be
the Nando's of duck.
[Fred] It's such
a tough business.
But if you get it right,
it could change your life.
I'm Fred Siriex.
I've worked in the hospitality
industry for 30 years.
Over the next six weeks
I'll be looking
for the new generation
of restaurant ideas.
Here in Manchester,
the food capital of the north,
some of the UK's most
exciting food entrepreneurs
will get a trial run
in front of the country's
most respected investors.
These men and women
can turn the right ideas into
Britain's best restaurants.
I like businesses
where I see,
"That's almost great..."
[Lacey]
First order of the day.
"...but I can make it
really great."
We need a pork belly.
It is tough out there,
but businesses that offer
the customer something
different are thriving.
Table nine, please,
how long?
If the business plan is right,
I'll fight to invest.
[both] Service!
[Fred] The entrepreneurs
will face two
high-pressure days
as they run
their own restaurant.
I just can't explain to you
how important this lunch is.
And try to convince
the investors they're
worth big money.
We've got £350,000
riding on this lunch service.
When the kitchen closes,
will the investors
make them an offer?
Everything's riding on it now.
The doors are open
for business. Welcome.
Today, three entrepreneurs
who've been dreaming
of their own restaurant
have the opportunity
they've been waiting for.
They've been chosen
to meet investors
hunting for ideas
that offer an original twist
on the UK's most popular food.
When it comes to eating out,
Asian food tops
British diners'
choice of cuisine.
Today, three ideas
with a brand-new take
on the taste of the East.
The investors try out
hundreds of new ideas
each year.
Today, they're looking
for just one.
It's a burger and chips,
Indian-style.
[Fred] The most promising
concept will be given
a two-day road test
in this restaurant
in Manchester,
so the investors
can interrogate every single
aspect of their business.
The three teams here
to prove they've
got real potential...
Rich and Paul,
the best friends
behind Krapow,
a fresh style
of Thai street food.
It's a gonna be a lovely
pork mince, chili
and basil stir-fry.
All right? Taste it.
[Fred] Young chefs
Joe and Aaron,
whose concept, XXVI,
offers a unique fusion
of Nepalese and Indian.
-So tasty.
That's properly spiced.
-Yeah.
[Alec] If you can
get me some water.
[Fred]
And couple Liz and Alec,
who've used Indian spices
to reinvent the burger
at their street stall Baba G's.
The key to a good patty
is getting the right amount
of flavor and salt and spice.
-Morning.
-[all] Morning.
How are you feeling?
Little bit nervous, but...
If you were not nervous
I would actually
be very worried.
It's a big day today,
you know, it's an amazing
opportunity that you have.
I mean, you are going
to be in front of four
of the leading investors
in this industry, you know.
So it's a chance
of a lifetime.
The investors can
only choose one of you
to go to Manchester.
They're going to choose
the idea that has the most
investment potential.
Good luck. Get cooking.
[all] Thank you.
[Fred] They have millions
of pounds to fund new ideas,
but these investors
back just a handful
of start-ups each year.
-[Fred] Good morning.
-[Jamie] Fred.
-Morning.
-How are you guys?
-Very well.
-Very good.
We've got a very
exciting day ahead.
We are about to see
and taste three operators
who believe their twist
on Asian food will get people
queuing for a table.
I mean, what is so interesting,
what's so exciting
about this sector?
For the last 50 years,
if you went to
any Indian restaurant
on the high street
or any Chinese restaurant
on the high street,
the menus were interchangeable.
And now suddenly,
young people in particular
are getting interested
in regional cuisine.
My name is Charlie McVeigh,
I've been in the pub
and restaurant business
for 20 years.
I sold a group of 16 pubs
a year ago.
I know how
to develop a brand,
and, most importantly,
I know how to make money.
Gone are the days where
you can just have
a generic Asian restaurant.
I think people want to
kind of understand
the cultures behind it,
the regions that certain
dishes come from.
I'm Jamie Barber.
I've opened dozens of
restaurants over my career.
I wanna see a concept
that's unique
and differentiated
but also mass appealing.
I think that
could be quite exciting.
One of the great things
about Asian food
has been the margin.
So rice-based,
noodle-based.
A pad thai can cost
as little as 20p to make,
and yet you can sell it
for seven or eight quid.
And hopefully today,
we'll be thinking,
"Wow, we can really
make some money here,"
which will be great.
[Paul] 74 and 75.
There you go, gents.
[Fred] First to pitch
are friends Paul, 34,
and Rich, 36.
Thank you. There's
your order number, 79.
[Fred] They run
award-winning Krapow
and want to bring authentic
Thai street food flavors
to the high street.
People know pad thai
and they know green curry.
That's not what it's about.
Chicken and rice,
sriracha mayo, number 11.
We've literally sacrificed
everything for this.
I quit my job in finance
to do this full-time
and decided that
it was a really good idea
to buy a house,
get married, have a child
in the space of six months.
This is literally putting
everything on the line
for something
that we believe in.
[Fred] Each team
will be serving
the investors a signature dish
to prove that their food
is as good as their idea.
The dish is called Krapow Moo
and it's going to be
a lovely pork mince,
chili and basil stir-fry.
[Fred] If they're chosen
to go to Manchester,
Paul and Rich will be asking
an investor for £300,000
for their first Krapow.
You cannot do
something that is
just as good as
what else is out there
in the market.
-It has to be doing something
much better or different.
-Right.
My name is Chris Miller,
I'm from White Rabbit Fund.
The investment decision
comes down to two things.
They've got to be doing
something incredibly exciting
with the food
and strong enough to actually
launch and grow a business.
We have fantastic
Thai food in this country.
Whether they create something
where people can have
a different kind of experience,
I think that's what
I would want to see.
My name it Atul Kochhar,
I'm a chef restaurateur.
Asia is my region.
I understand it really well.
But people want something new
every few years or so.
So you have to be so much
more sharper and savvier
when it comes to your
investment with new concepts.
[Jamie] I'm a skeptic.
I think that people see
through lack of authenticity.
I'd love to hear from these
guys to see if they really
have put in the effort
to understand the cuisine
rather than just
appropriate it back.
So this is adding in
the Thai basil.
The thing is, if you add it
at the last minute,
it stops it from
wilting too much.
The dish is spicy,
and there's salt in it as well.
The egg just brings
those together.
[Fred] Enough talking.
Time for some Thai food.
-Hey, guys.
-Hi, how are we?
So this is Krapow Moo.
It's a chili and basil
pork mince dish.
We hope you enjoy it.
Let's eat.
What do you think
about the food, guys?
So, that's a really
ugly plate of food.
It's not pretty.
I would question
in the world where
you're content providers
for Instagram and Facebook,
if that's your star dish,
is there a better way
to present it?
I know it doesn't look good
but I absolutely love the dish.
I think it's fantastic.
It's a little bit
like Thai Bolognese,
and luckily I love Bolognese,
so that's terrific.
It is brilliant comfort food,
in the way that Bolognese
is brilliant comfort food.
Yeah, it's a Thai comfort food.
So, guys, one thing
was to understand
what your Thai
credentials are.
I want to feel that it's more
that just a gap-year experience
that you've bought home.
Food, as with culture, anyway,
is constantly evolving.
Wok cooking is only
in Thai cooking because
of Chinese influence.
Chilies only entered Thai
cooking in the 16th century
thanks to
Portuguese travelers.
The world is getting
smaller and smaller
and I don't think
a limitation on the food
you can cook for people
should be based on
who your parents were.
If you've got a passion for it,
go for it.
Can I just say,
that's a knockout answer.
-[Jamie] It's a great answer.
-Straight right, well done.
Where are you at now?
Just slicing up butter now.
[Fred] Next to pitch
for a chance
to impress in Manchester
are 25-year-old chefs,
Joe and Aaron.
They think their high-end
Nepalese-Indian concept
called XXVI
could take a slice
of the £800 million
fine-dining market.
The dish we're making today
is a little cauliflower dish
that we've got,
and then hat's finished
with our family recipe
curry sauce.
[Joe] We'd love
to have a restaurant.
That's my ultimate
goal in life.
The name itself comes
from two numbers,
being 26 and six.
I lost my eldest brother
to meningitis,
and his lucky number
was 26.
And Aaron's mother passed away,
and her birthday was the 6th.
So it's about remembering
those that we've lost.
This is such
a huge deal for us.
We're so confident
in our food,
we know the flavors work,
we just can't wait to put
that plate down in front
of those investors
and for them to enjoy it.
[Fred] Joe and Aaron want
an investor who'll back them
with half a million pounds.
Do you understand the ethos
and what they are about?
Looking at the branding,
I wouldn't know what it is
if I just saw XXVI on a page.
And that's... That's concerning
when there is
so much competition
and so much noise
in the marketplace.
It's got lemon juice,
it's got peas, it's got dill,
it's got cauli,
it's got ricotta, it's got
sauce, table side, done.
-Yeah, ready to go.
-Ready to go.
Anyway, enough taking.
The food is ready.
-[Jamie] Hey, guys.
-[Atul] Welcome.
Thank you.
So we've got
homemade spiced ricotta,
some charred cauliflower,
some peas
and a family recipe
curry sauce.
-[Fred] Smells delicious.
-[Jamie] It does.
[Fred] Let's eat.
The flavor of the spices,
ricotta, sauce,
incredible.
What I actually like
about it as well,
it feels relatively simple
but tasted excellent.
What does XXVI stand for?
26 was big.
My late brother's lucky number.
I was very dubious
about the name
when I didn't understand
the background.
However, what a lot of
customers are looking for
in the market is soul, heart,
you know, real feeling
coming through.
That could be a strong suit.
I would just caution
the story is potentially
a little bit too serious.
After all,
we go out to have fun
and enjoy ourselves
-and sort of forget about
some of those issues.
-Yeah, of course.
You guys seem to be
incredibly talented chefs,
but I'm not really feeling
the fact that you're
exposed to business enough
to be able to carry through
a full restaurant.
We know around about the bases
to get us sort of started
and then, obviously,
if one of you guys
came on board
then it's that teaching
that we can obviously
get off yourselves.
But if we invested in you,
how do you think we would
get that money back?
-Good question.
-That's a long silence.
[all chuckling]
It's very daunting sat there
in front of those investors,
knowing they're the big boys
in the industry,
scrutinizing everything
that we've done.
[Fred] The last team dreaming
of their own restaurant brand
are couple Liz and Alec.
[Alec] Okay,
I've made yours spicy, yeah?
[laughing]
[Fred] Indian restaurant chains
grew by a fifth last year,
and they believe fast food
with Indian flavors will be
the next big thing.
[Alec] Baba G's serves
Indian-spiced burgers,
masala fries,
and tikka chicken nuggets.
[Fred] The couple have
been together nine years
and have a 6-year-old
son, Abe.
My daddy makes
the best burgers.
[interviewer] What's it like
working together?
-Terrible. [laughs]
-Awful. [laughing]
[Fred] They've built up
the business and now
run three stalls
in London's busiest
street markets.
When you see people
sitting around eating
trays of Baba G's,
it feels great,
'cause you've created that,
and they're loving it,
and that feels amazing.
-I can do this bit, Al.
-Okay, sorry.
[Alec]
We're doing our signature
Bhangra Burgers.
It's served in a brioche
naan-style bun,
filled with a bit of fresh
tamarind sauce and then
an onion bhaji,
finish it all off with
a bit of mint raita
and that's your Bhangra Burger.
[Fred] Liz and Alec
want £300,000
from an investor to set up
not one but two restaurants.
Indian's one of the most
popular cuisines in the UK,
and if you put a burger
onto any menu it'll be
your top-selling item.
This is closhing,
it's just to get the steam
through the burger
so it's cooking from the inside
and the outside as well.
It's not very often
you get in front of people
who can really
help push it forward.
We're going to feel nervous
when you're stood in front of
people bearing your heart out
about your last decade's work,
I suppose,
but let's see.
Let me bring them in here.
-[Charlie] Hey.
-Hi, there.
-Hi.
-[Jamie] Wow, look at that.
[Chris] Thank you so much.
[Liz] That's a Bhangra Burger.
[Fred] Let's eat.
[Fred] Ooh.
Yeah, the sauce
on the side is our...
-Naga chili.
-Naga chili. It's really hot.
-That needs to come
with a warning.
-You've killed Fred.
My God, that's really...
I just tried a bit of it.
Investors, can I ask your first
impressions about the food?
I own a group of, uh,
probably the best burger
group in the country,
so I think I know
a little bit about burgers.
I think this was great.
I thought actually
the patty was a bit coarse
for my liking
in terms of the grind.
Do you make that yourselves?
-We do make the patties
ourselves, yes.
-We make the patties.
You make the patties
yourself, okay.
But I thought it was
very good. I thought
it was great.
The flavors are there,
spectacular flavors.
And the Naga chili pickle,
wow, the affect
was amazing here.
[Liz laughing]
What is the idea?
What is the customer
experience going to be?
We are very good at doing
fast casual dining
in high footfall areas.
So we're looking to open,
like, two smaller outlets
that's true to what
our experience is.
Can you answer the question.
Is it table service?
-We're not sure at this--
-Or is it counter service?
We are not sure
at this point.
We want to be somewhere
between a Wahaca,
where it is table service--
I'm hearing on the one hand
only a few tables.
But to do Wahaca
you need 150 seats.
Going forward I'd like to
get bigger... We would
like to get bigger sites.
Just stay to what
we're asking for now.
Sorry.
If you choose these two guys,
you know, to go to Manchester
and run the pop-up
for a couple of days,
what do you want to see?
Kind of like to understand
whether you can operate
as an all-day brand.
[Alec] Yes, yes.
[Atul] Clearly I would like
to see more food from them.
Drinks is going to be
the major offering from me,
because that is real money,
in my opinion.
Decide what you want
to do with the brand
in terms of service,
in terms of type of site.
At the moment,
I don't really know what
I would be investing in.
We've built this up from
an original investment
of £3,000.
We've made a lot of
mistakes over the years,
and we feel like now's
the time that we can use
other people's money
and not make mistakes
with theirs.
[all laughing]
No, not make mistakes
with theirs!
Foot in mouth.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you.
-Thank you, guys.
-Thank you for your time.
[Liz] I do feel relieved
now that we're out.
I thought it went well.
We were honest
as we could be,
and I put my foot
in my mouth a few times,
but that's kind of me
anyway, so...
Investors, we just had
three very strong ideas
presented in front of us.
We have to decide,
who is going to Manchester?
The investors will choose
the best idea by majority vote
but can pull out
if they're not interested.
So first, let's talk about...
I can't even say it. [laughs]
-XXVI.
-[Charlie] That's the problem.
[Atul]
They can cook, definitely.
The flavors were good.
Conceptualizing of the dish
was very good.
[Chris] I actually think
they had the best food.
But the team,
I would be worried if they
really could go out
and launch a restaurant.
For Atul to say that
flavors were great,
'cause he's like obviously
a Michelin-starred Indian chef
and that was...
That was huge for us.
Charlie, what about Krapow?
It's not a refined dish
by any stretch
of the imagination,
but I can see that brand
as a combination of grab-and-go
and fast casual.
How do you see it
as grab-and-go?
In what way?
Well, you come in
and order at the counter
and they stick it in the box
and give it to you.
[Jamie]
Bolognese and rice in it.
-So you think
there's potential here?
-I do, yeah.
I think they have
the personality,
they have a good understanding
of business as well.
Two people absolutely
loved the branding,
two of them were
like no, hate it.
What about Baba G?
You know, there's not
many people that's doing
that style of cuisine
and yet it's something
that appeals to quite
a large group of people,
so I really liked that.
I think all them
generally liked our concept,
didn't they?
-It was just when
we started to...
-Talk.
[all laughing]
Or maybe me.
I felt that Krapow
was very well-disciplined
but the food was disappointing.
But I found Baba G's food
compelling but I thought
they were chaotic.
Would I trust them
with £300,000
and scale of restaurants,
-that's a question.
-Right.
One of these businesses
has to go to Manchester.
Who is it gonna be?
[Fred] Someone is about
to be a step closer
to the dream
of their own restaurant.
You've all made
a very, very good impression
and, um, the investors
were split.
It was very interesting
to see them debate,
you know, businesses.
But anyway, they have
made a decision.
The idea that, for them,
has the most
investment potential
is Baba G.
Baba G, for me,
is the most natural fit
for my skill set.
It translates into
a casual dining environment
very easily,
and I think
I can add value.
They had raw talent
and also, they started
with three grand,
they now have three venues.
Clearly, they've worked out
how to make money.
It was a burger.
Bollywood, boisterous, big.
All fantastic things,
to be honest.
And they're ready to move
to the next level.
How do you feel?
Amazing.
This will give us
the opportunity to kind of
show them that we do know
the vision for Baba G's.
Shall I tell you which
of the investors
think your ideas
has the most
investment potential?
-Yes, definitely.
-Yes, absolutely.
-Charlie McVeigh.
-[Alec] Yeah?
-Jamie Barber.
-Ooh.
-Atul Kochhar.
-Ooh!
Chris Miller,
unfortunately, is out.
But you've got three
out of four.
There are lots of disasters
and lots of ups and downs
when you open a restaurant,
and I need to be able
to see that those guys
can really drag it from
an idea into a restaurant.
And they didn't turn up
with that certainty.
You really have to nail down
the feedback that they've
given you, right?
Without forgetting drinks,
because this is
a big part of the business,
and this is how
you can turn a profit.
Think about your vision,
what does your restaurant
look like?
What is the customer journey
from the moment they walk
through the door to the
moment that they leave?
And you two have to sing
from the same song sheet.
I think we'll take from this.
We'll actually have to start
agreeing for once in our lives.
[all laughing]
-Good luck.
-Thank you.
Good luck.
-Take care, see you later.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
-[Liz laughing]
[Fred] Baba G has made it
to Manchester.
They've got two days
to convince the investors that
they are worth investing in.
All they have to do
is run a restaurant.
Should be easy.
Tonight, Liz and Alec will
open to the paying public
and the couple are about
to see their new restaurant
for the first time.
Look at the big sign.
Can you see the sign?
-Oh, wow.
-My heart...
Oh, my God.
[Fred] They've been working
with a designer so that
they can show the investors
their vision of Baba G's.
Perfect.
-[Alec] Oh, wow.
-That's perfect.
I love the pink light.
[Alec chuckling]
[Fred] For the next 48 hours...
Tell me if it's level, Liz.
Yep, that is, yes.
...the investors will watch
Liz and Alec work
under pressure.
Only then will they decide
whether they're worth
an investment.
To be able
to get the investment
and for this to actually
become a reality,
to see it all is,
yeah, overwhelming.
-Bit choked up.
-Yeah.
[both chuckling]
One Lamb Jalfrezi,
one club naanwich.
[Fred] 37-year-old Alec
grew up in Birmingham,
where his mum introduced him
to a world of Indian spices.
And some fries over here
when you get a sec.
[Fred] He started Baba G's
ten years ago,
and only a few months later,
met Liz who was working
on another stall.
If you ever needed
to know where Alec was,
you would generally find him
laughing, eating,
and creating a fun atmosphere
and vibe everywhere
that he went.
[Alec]
How long on your burgers?
Liz is definitely
the rock in the business.
I couldn't do it without her.
Don't tell her that though.
[laughing]
At some points
it's been a real struggle.
We were spending
a lot of time running round,
knackering yourself out,
running from festival
to festival,
with very little to show
at the end of it.
The realization of how
tough it was, was when
our son came along.
I think even when
I came out of hospital,
Alec had to go out
because at the last minute
we had a job
that was gonna basically
pay our rent for the month.
It was really hand-to-mouth.
[Alec]
Everything we do is with
Abe in mind, you know.
Mmm. I like it.
We want to leave something,
a legacy behind, that can
help him in any way.
[Alec] Hey, Baba G!
[Fred] Liz and Alec
have asked some of their loyal
staff from their street stalls
to come and help them
win investment.
[Alec] This is
an amazing opportunity.
We owe it not just to us
but to the staff that have been
with us for such a long time.
It's about eight hours
till we open and a lot to do.
Right, let's get to it.
[Vanina]
It's an important day
for Liz and Alec.
Feel like it's our duty
to make sure like
we're all prepared.
They can be stressed
and we just have to reassure
them we've got their backs.
[Alec] We're gonna do
two of the chocolate.
We're gonna do
a half of cinnamon.
[Fred] During the pitch
the investors asked
about their drinks offering,
so Alec has been concocting
some alcoholic milkshakes.
We've got the vanilla cardamom
and rum barbar.
We're just gonna scoop
in the scoopdy scoop of that
and hope for the best.
Right, let's try it.
If this can't get the investors
to part with that 300 grand,
nothing will.
-How are you?
-Hi, Alec.
-Yeah, very well. Yourself?
-Feeling good?
Yeah, very well.
You're looking amazing!
How are you?
-Yeah, good.
-How do you feel?
-Nervous.
-Do you?
Yeah, there's that buzz
of electric kind of...
Energy. Can't believe
it's happening right now.
-You must be excited?
-Yeah, very excited.
And so you know you've got
three major investors
who are all gonna experience
Baba G in a restaurant setting.
The only variable that I...
That I...
That is making
me slightly nervous
is just making sure that,
because we don't do sit-down,
is that the whole actual
table service runs fluidly.
You've got to run
this operation, I mean,
you've run it in muddy fields.
But it's going to be
very different,
it's going to be like theater.
It's got to be choreographed
and everybody's got to know
what they've got to do.
-Yeah.
-If you do that,
-you are gonna win.
-[Liz] Yes.
[Fred] But of course,
service is only
half the battle.
I want to know if Liz and Alec
have changed their menu
since meeting the investors.
[Alec]
The feedback we got
was about obviously,
the burgers, um,
they were saying
our grind was quite coarse.
So we decided
to double grind
and it still
wasn't quite there,
so we did try a triple grind
against the advice
of our butcher
and found that
we really liked it.
But what about the recipe?
Is the recipe the same?
We've kept the recipe
the same, yeah.
We toast off
some cumin seeds,
um, we put dried chili flakes.
And a bit of coriander.
I mean, obviously,
with the meat
and with the burger
the worst thing you can do
is get salt through the mix
because it just pulls
all the fat out
and all the juice
out of the burger
before you cook it.
This is our Baba G
secret spice mix.
[Fred] What's the spice here?
Yeah, well,
that would be telling.
-Come on.
-[laughs]
I'm not gonna tell anyone.
[laughing]
And then straight
onto the grill just like that.
The UK burger market is worth
a staggering 3.3 billion
and Baba G
want a piece of it.
They think they can bring
something new and fresh
to this already crowded space.
In fact, their whole menu
is packed with Indian twists
on familiar fast food dishes.
Tonight, they've got
tikka chicken nuggets
and fries for £9.
Poppadoms have been fused
with nachos to create "Pachos,"
for £6.
And for vegans,
they've created a Baba Bowl
curry for £12.
Let me show you something.
Baba G's normally sell
their burger for £8
when they are on the stall.
Here they are selling them
for £12.50,
but they've added
the fries within the price.
This could be very clever.
The customer is paying
for fries whether they
want them or not,
and fries are an item
with great profit margin.
But will the investors agree?
Two weeks after
the investors first had
a taste of Baba G's,
they're in Manchester
for more.
Over the next two days,
they'll put Liz and Alec's
business plan, service
and food to the test.
Tomorrow evening,
if they like what they see,
there might even be
a fight to invest.
First to arrive
is Jamie Barbour,
who's backed a string
of successful brands.
He's after concepts that can
make money now times
are tough on the high street.
So in the old days
the sales were here,
your costs were here
and your profit was
everything in the middle.
Now what's happening
is that there's been a big
pressure on the top line
through over-competition,
through Deliveroo,
through Uber Eats,
through millennials
choosing other things to do,
so the top line
has gone like this,
and at the same time
minimum wage has gone up,
rates have been revalued,
rent reviews have taken place,
the exchange rate means
that everything's
more expensive to purchase.
So the costs have gone
like that and then suddenly
that bit in the middle
is not a profit anymore,
it's a loss.
So whenever I'm looking
at a new idea at the moment,
I'm looking at how can
that idea navigate
through those pressures.
[Fred] Michelin-starred chef
and investor Atul Kochhar
believes there's a strong
market for fusion food.
The new generation,
their definition of authentic
is very, very different.
They want to have
more flavors,
they want to have
more textures.
You have to come up
with a great combination.
Baba G's is a quirky project.
He has inspired himself
on India, but it's new India.
Whether people in the UK
will think it's authentic
Indian or not,
I don't think any one of us
gives a toss about it,
to be honest,
because we like our flavors.
British-Indian food Mark II,
it's here. Baba G is that.
[Fred] Charlie McVeigh
has established five different
food and drink businesses.
His last pub chain
sold for £16 million.
I think there's very limited
sectors in the market
that don't enjoy eating burgers
and don't enjoy
eating Indian food.
You would expect
student towns to do well,
you would expect millennials
to want to eat it,
but also mums and dads
with their kids.
To get a business like Baba G's
from its street-food origins
into bricks and mortar
could cost anything
from £200,000 to £500,000.
If the business plan is right,
I will find that money.
Okay, guys, we're gonna come
and have a quick briefing,
just gonna get everything
in order before we start.
[Fred] Experienced local
waiting staff are joining
Baba G's team.
Tonight will be
their soft launch,
where real customers
will pay half price.
We are really used to
like fast, quick service,
but not as a sit-down.
So this is where
you're integral to
our night running well.
The idea is that
we're still trying to be
a fast food outlet
so that everyone
does have to sit
at their seat,
look through the menu
and then go up to the bar
and make your order
at the bar.
And their booking
is for half an hour.
[Fred] I admire Baba G's
as much as I worry for them.
They've got 171
customers booked,
30 minutes planned
per person at the table.
How are they
going to pull this off?
I think this is the bit
where we just,
we wait for it all to happen.
All the elements are there
and it's all been put on
and it's all gonna happen.
-[Alec] Okay, are we all ready?
-Yes.
[Fred] Alec studied
architecture at university
but gave it up to follow
his passion for food.
I absolutely love what I do,
but we've learned our trade
the hard way, you know.
We've done setting up
in the snow, rain, the hail.
We wanna create
a more secure future.
It's now or never, I'd say.
[Fred] Tonight
a new restaurant is opening
in Manchester. Baba G.
The investors are coming in
and will be watching
their every move.
You ready?
Everything ready?
You ready?
Everyone know
what they're doing?
Oh, this is the most
nervous wait of my life.
Good evening,
welcome to Baba G's.
Well, great. Come with me.
I'm nervous. We've got
our first customers!
Idea is that you take a moment
to make your order choice.
Make your way up to
the front to where the till is
and place your order.
So can we start with
the Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi?
Nice. Very nice.
We've got a
Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi...
We'll have some Pachos.
[waitress]
Your paneer saag naan.
I really like
the fried chicken nuggets
and then I have
the same on this,
it's like chicken tikka.
How's it going?
-It's beautiful.
-Do you like it?
[woman] That's amazing.
Yeah, especially
an Indian burger,
it's really nice.
It's clean and fresh.
Really tasty.
[Fred] Baba G's
is off to a flyer,
but as more and more
orders come in...
Have we got another table of
two that have come in?
I think table three
in about five minutes.
[Fred] ...the kitchen
has hit its first glitch.
Is this my
chicken tikka naanwich?
Yeah, uh...
No. We're missing an order.
We're missing an order.
We've actually got a couple
of missing orders here
that have been put
through as takeaway,
but with actually
no table numbers
attached to them.
You already had some food or...
No, just waiting now.
Think it's on the bench
ready to come out.
Let me just check.
You're table nine.
Give me one second.
What's happening
with all of this?
Look, people are
giving us orders
without table numbers.
Table nine, please,
how long?
[Alec]
We've got a lot of orders
without table numbers on.
Order 27 no table number,
order 21 no table number,
order 29 no table number!
Table nine has ordered
half an hour ago,
that's why I'm asking.
Would you mind
to check table nine there,
what did they order
and where is the order
because it's not here,
and they arrived
half an hour ago.
-Give me a second, yeah.
-Yeah.
Right.
-What table are you, madam?
-Number eleven.
Nice.
One mango spice slaw
and one chicken tikka
nuggets sides please.
[Fred] Staff are now
making sure every order
is given a table number,
but the delay to service
has highlighted
a much bigger problem.
There's a little bit of
a wait on the table.
If I can get you
to take a seat.
We thought that
it was going to be more
like the street food,
where people are in and out
within 30 minutes.
Once you put a plate
in front of them,
that is not the case.
People are relaxing,
especially in an evening,
they're taking an hour
to turn the table.
It's been about 45 minutes
we've been waiting.
-Since you arrived?
-Since I arrived.
Ordered two drinks.
Haven't received one,
still haven't been seated.
[Fred] Customers are
growing impatient.
But Liz has been smart.
She's kept one table free.
7:30.
The investors are here
to find out if Baba G's
is worth their money.
When groups of people
come out,
we look out for something
which we call the handbrake.
There's usually one person
who doesn't like
the core offer,
doesn't like burgers,
and unless you can
cater for that person,
they will cause the handbrake,
they will stop that whole
group from going out.
So I want to make sure
that they can cater
for people that don't want
their core burger offer.
-Hello!
-Hello.
Hello, there. Are you okay?
[Liz] Been waiting for
you three gentlemen.
I do see
that Charlie and Jamie
would come and compete
with me on this one.
No doubt about it.
But if I like the idea enough,
I will fight very hard for it.
-Hampers all ready
waiting for you.
-Where do you want us?
I've come here
to find an investment.
If I'm interested, I'm sure
there will be other investors
that will be interested.
So this is an
experience and a half.
-Yeah!
-I have to say.
I'm a fan of Jamie Barber
and of Atul Kochhar,
but if you don't wanna
beat the other guy,
why are you doing it?
So your table number
is number ten.
So you just need
to let them know.
Is that how you do it?
You can order at the till?
And turning to the side
you see a queue over there.
Can I leave you gentlemen
to order and I will go
and deal with them?
-Best of luck.
-Thank you.
[Charlie] I'm quite impressed
with the menu.
I think it looks good.
It's interesting, but it's not
so wacky that you're frightened
or threatened by it.
You kind of instinctively
know what everything is.
[Atul] Let's do it, guys.
There we go.
Another portion of nuggets.
One sec. The next order
is the investors, yeah.
It's gonna come now.
I mean, I always find
this quite irritating,
this part of the journey.
[Atul] To order?
But I know that people
are accustomed to it.
-Hi. Table ten.
-Hi, guys. I am ready.
Thank you so much,
table number ten.
Okay.
Okay, so investor order.
One Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi,
one chikka tikken burger,
one Naga deli burger.
And some milkshakes, please.
I'll have the vanilla
cardamom one
and the baba
chocolate chai as well.
The club naanwich,
the tikka fried naanwich,
the paneer saag naanwich,
the Baba Bowl,
the Pachos
and the mango spice slaw.
[chef]
We make one of everything.
One of everything, yeah.
Do you mind paying?
We've gotta pay, yeah.
I don't have any...
[chuckles]
-Atul.
-I'll pay, I'll pay.
[Fred] While the investors
wait for their order,
Liz has been working on
ways to clear the queues.
In street food people
kind of eat together,
so I've kind of gone through
and just asked people,
so people are starting
to share tables when
they become available.
What's happening
is you're coming for
a romantic date here.
And then you end up
as a foursome now.
So why are you
sharing a table?
They asked us whether
or not we'd like to wait
for a table for two,
or if we wouldn't
mind a share, so...
Oh, well, that's
quite a good solution.
At least you're
gonna get to eat.
Yes, finally.
I mean, let's be honest here.
It's really chaotic,
but Liz and Alec
are being creative.
They're finding solutions,
and people are still happy.
They love the food.
So what's not to love
about Baba G's?
[Alec] Okay,
everything perfect, mate.
Investor burgers, yeah.
[Charlie] What we haven't
discussed is the drinks list,
which is a revelation,
and it's something that
we asked for
a couple of weeks ago
and it shows that
they're very responsive.
-[Atul] They are responsive.
-I think it's good.
I think it's good.
Chicken burger.
We're gonna kind of share
everything in a very,
very intimate way.
So is it all right to just
put them in the middle?
I don't watch
anybody eat my food,
so I'm certainly
not going to watch
the investors eat my food.
[Charlie]
The best-looking burger
is the vegetarian burger.
-[Atul] Quality is there.
-You're in business
at the moment.
Oh, look, here comes
the Baba Bowl.
As a vegan, again,
you're getting the best
looking dish in the house.
It's really, really cool.
Now that looks good.
Beautifully cooked.
-This is terrific.
-Really good.
So, last time I spoke
to them I found the...
The grind quite coarse.
And it certainly
seems finer.
I think it needs
more salt.
It needs more seasoning.
-How are you guys?
-Hello.
So...
So, listen, we were just saying
that on the whole
I think they pulled off
a very impressive show.
-Definitely.
-It's very busy.
[Jamie] It's great fun.
The service is
as chaotic as it gets.
People have been sharing tables
with people they didn't know.
I tell you something,
I mean, they are
really ambitious.
The food, it was great,
-but not everything
is perfect.
-Sure.
So there are lots of things
which needs tweaking.
I think little tweaks
here and there, and you've
got a concept here.
I'm really not worried
about the service,
I think they've done
an amazing job.
I've got issues
with the price point.
I think £12.50
for a burger and fries
in a lot of parts of the UK
is gonna be too much.
However, I thought
it was going to be
a complete car crash.
-[Jamie] I agree.
-Tonight.
And it's far from it.
Yes, there have been some
tables waiting and so on,
but I've also seen
lots of people
enjoying the food.
I'm excited about it.
I've never felt a really
deep connection
to the brand.
I like the food,
I don't love it.
So, for me,
it's gonna come down to,
do the numbers stack up?
[Charlie]
Alec, how you doing?
You're not even sweating.
[laughing]
In terms of food,
the presentation,
the way they have
conceptualized the dishes,
they're all very good.
There are small tweaks
to be had, no doubt about it,
but otherwise,
very impressive experience.
You guys have put out
very high-quality food...
-Oh, thank you.
-...in a crazy setting.
[Jamie] I think
dinner was very tasty.
Yes, I was impressed
with the food.
Yes, I was impressed
by the execution,
but I've still
got to be impressed
by their financial acumen.
[Alec] Anybody else
want a drink?
I need one.
-Well done.
-Cheers.
Well done.
Wow, that was a tough night,
but you've got to give it
to Liz and Alec.
They gave it all they had.
And they impressed me,
and I think that they've
impressed the investors.
They're still in the running
for that investment tomorrow.
[Fred] It's the final day,
but things aren't about
to get any easier.
In a few hours,
the investors will be back
for another full service.
They will want to know
how Baba G's performs
as a lunchtime option.
But first, Liz and Alec
face business meetings
to interrogate their
financial strategy.
As the investors
are in competition
with each other,
they'll each have an hour
alone with the couple.
[Jamie] I've seen a very small
snapshot of what these
guys can put across.
I'm excited about
what I've seen, but there's
a large number
of unanswered questions.
I like the concept,
I like the people,
I like their integrity.
But each and every business
is run by the numbers.
If I was to invest money,
can I trust them?
[Charlie]
It's vitally important
they know how to make money.
If they can't deliver profit,
not only will they not be
able to grow the business,
they're gonna go bankrupt.
[Fred] Liz and Alec came
looking for £300,000
to open two sites.
But if their figures
don't impress,
the investors
could walk away.
Let me make
a couple of comments
about the business plan,
which I suspect
you're going to have to
rip up and start again.
Last night you took £3,000-ish?
Does that sound about right?
And you were absolutely packed.
What your business plan
is presenting
means that you have to do
what you did last night,
and more, lunch and dinner
every day, seven days a week.
So, that ain't gonna work.
What I'm concerned about is
300K will let you open
two more sites
and those places would pump,
you are saying 3.7 million.
You know,
it's projections and...
[Atul]
I totally understand.
But these are the numbers
I'm looking at.
[Alec] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
These are the numbers
you have given me to look at.
I've got to say
whether I want to invest
with you or not.
Totally understand, yes.
Alec and Liz are doing
all they can to give
a good impression in there.
They believe in the concept,
but will the investors
feel the same?
[Charlie]
So the fundamental
issue I've got
is what this thing's
gonna be.
What is the model?
What's the customer journey?
I'm gonna put the bar here,
let's get a sign here
so that when they walk in...
Put it in the business plan
and say this is what
we're gonna do.
-Okay.
-Right.
And then, I look at that
and I go, "Oh!
-They know what they're doing!"
-[Alec] Yeah.
I don't know if you know
what you're doing.
The quality of the food
is important,
but it's actually only
quite a small part
of the overall package.
What I want to see is what
the customer experience is
and how that translates
into the numbers,
and I haven't had that yet.
We've got a very clear vision,
but it's just about
having the time to actually
sit down and do it,
while running all other
parts of your business.
The issue I have with that,
it's not a good excuse
because there's nothing
more important than
getting this right.
Yeah.
I think you've got many
of the right ingredients,
but until I really have
a sense and an idea
of what are the fails,
what are the profits
from that business,
how's it all gonna work?
I don't think I can invest.
Okay.
I can help with the numbers.
But ultimately,
I've got no idea
whether they actually
understand their business
model or not.
If I got a feeling
that they really got
what could happen
in one restaurant,
how that restaurant's gonna be,
how much money
it's gonna make,
and it was believable,
I'd be in.
But they've given me
no such impression.
[Liz]
That was stressful.
We were talked at
a lot more than us
being able to contribute.
[Alec] Yeah.
[Liz]
Alec and I feel very sure
of our vision of Baba G's.
We know what we want
our customers to feel,
but we just haven't
articulated it.
[Fred] Charlie might be gone,
but the remaining investors
can choose to spell out
the offer they would make if,
and only if,
they decide to invest tonight.
Jamie believes that Liz
and Alec have overestimated
their potential sales,
so he's got a plan
to minimize the risk.
The casual dining market
is distressed at the moment,
and there are lots
of opportunities to pick up
somebody else's failed
fully fitted-out restaurant
for very little money.
Because even
1,000 square-foot restaurant
you're gonna end up spending
several hundred thousand pounds
on fitting that out
as a restaurant.
So, if I was minded
to make an offer,
I think it would be
in the region of £150,000
to £200,000
to establish a first unit.
But I wanna see today
whether the guests
respond to your food
as a kind of
lunchtime visit
as well as just an
evening experience.
-[Alec] Yeah, thank you.
-Yeah.
The business plan
that they had presented
was fiction.
However, their fundamental
proposition is clever,
and I think I've got
a good sense as to what their
margins should be or could be.
So I think if you put
the normal restaurant
metrics behind it,
you can make
a successful business
from this proposition.
[Atul] Going forward,
if I was to invest in this,
I would invest 300,000.
That'll get you started
with two sites at least,
as you have mentioned.
But I would love
to come back for lunch today
and see how food comes out.
The consistency
has to be there.
-That's what I want to see.
-Yes.
How you doing?
[Vanina]
Very well, how are you?
So we've got
two investors coming,
one's dropped out.
Did they say why they're out
and any improvements?
Uh, there's nothing
we can do now.
[Alec] Okay, guys.
It's 2:00!
Service starting!
[Fred] Liz and Alec
are about to open for lunch.
[Liz] Hello, there,
how are you doing?
-Can I take your name?
-Emily.
[Liz] To come through
this experience,
the more you go through it
the more you want it.
The more you realize
being in an area like this,
seeing all the big brands
and seeing this outcome
could mean that we are
up there among them
in the years to come.
Yeah. This is the difference
between us
getting investment
and not getting investment.
[Fred] Today, the public
will pay full price.
[Liz] Hi, guys.
Welcome to Baba G.
[Fred] And the investors
will be want to know what
they make of Baba G's.
The Crazy Lamb Jalfrezi burger?
It seems a lot calmer.
I think people know
what they're doing.
One Lamb Jalfrezi,
one club naanwich.
I don't know what's
in this but it's gorgeous.
It's spicy, beautiful,
juicy, nice.
[Fred] Atul and Jamie
both need good answers
to big questions
if they are to invest tonight.
No restaurant at the moment
can afford to survive
on Thursday, Friday
and Saturday nights.
Those days are over.
These restaurants
need to sweat every hour
that they are open.
I wanna to see how
other customers take to
this concept at lunch.
-[Liz] Ah, hello, again!
-Fancy seeing you here.
-Are you okay? All right.
-How you doing?
So as an investment
I always look for one word,
and that is the consistency.
The first plate of food
should look exactly the same
as the last plate of the food
that comes out the kitchen.
That's the critical key
to grow the brand to ten
or 12 restaurants.
Hello, Liz, how are you?
[Liz] I'm all right.
What's a nice light
dish for lunch?
Light. I would go for...
Go for the Baba Bowl.
The Baba Bowl. Okay.
Looking at a four-minute
turnout for the order,
so it's going quite well.
I've been recommended
the Baba Bowl
but I'm not gonna
go for that.
I'm gonna go for
the chicken naanwich.
Next order.
Another naanwich.
[Fred]
They've placed their orders.
Now Atul and Jamie
are conducting important
firsthand customer research.
-[Atul] How is the lunch?
-Best burger I've ever had.
-Oh, really? Wow.
-Easy.
The bhaji on the top,
the texture...
-Yeah.
-Very good.
-You quite like that?
-Yeah.
[Jamie] Did it feel
an easy choice for lunch?
Lunch, yeah,
it was perfect.
Obviously, I've had
burgers before,
but this is really unusual.
It is. That sort of Korean
chili kick is great.
I'm a vegetarian, and there's
definitely loads that I would
pick here again and again,
so I think
it's a really good idea.
And would you come back
for lunch here?
I would absolutely come back.
The food was delicious,
the portions were great,
but quite heavy for a lunch.
Thank you.
[Fred] Jamie's had
mostly good reviews
for Baba G's as a lunch option.
And Atul is about
to put Baba G's consistency
to the test.
[Atul] Fabulous.
How are you, Atul?
Are you enjoying your meal?
Food is actually
as good as yesterday.
The quality is the same.
There are some
basic tweaks needed.
I still have to think through
whether I'm going to put my
hand in the pocket or not.
Well, look, I'm going
to give you a deadline.
You have until seven o'clock
tonight to come back
and make them an offer.
-Good luck. See you later.
-Thank you.
See you later, Fred.
[Fred]
He's talked to customers.
Now Jamie's testing Baba G's
as a lunch option himself.
It's a chicken tikka naanwich.
It's all kind of falling apart,
chips are quite cold.
It's not as well-executed
as yesterday.
[Liz] Can I join you?
-Liz.
-How are you feeling
second time round?
Well, to be totally honest,
the experience today
wasn't as good as yesterday.
Right.
I ordered a naanwich
and the naan was quite cold
and dry and crumbly.
And it was
sort of falling apart.
The chips were quite cold
and a bit congealed
like they'd been sitting out
on the pass for a while.
-So, it was--
-That doesn't sound good.
I would have expected that
the poorer execution
would have happened
when you were slammed
with 170 covers.
So I'm not quite sure
why it wasn't perfect.
Spoke to Jamie.
It seems that his food
wasn't really on point today.
His naan bread
was crumbly and dry,
his chicken was cold,
his fries were cold.
-Jamie. How's your lunch?
-Fred.
Um, my lunch is okay.
Oh, but loved it yesterday?
[Liz] It feels like
he's backing out.
It feels like
he's backing out?
Is that what he said?
This service hasn't
propelled us further
and in fact...
-It's set us back.
-It's set us back.
And that's a really
disappointing feeling
right at this minute.
Are you still
considering in investing?
I'm still considering,
uh, investing,
but I have a feeling
this whole project is going
to take more time and effort
than I had
originally anticipated.
One of the investors
said he had a really bad meal.
I don't know what happened
but whatever,
not great.
They've done
all the hard work here,
now the pressure is on you.
You've got to decide
whether you're going to make
an offer later on tonight.
-Yes.
-You've gotta think.
I'm gonna think.
I leave you to it, Jamie.
Good luck.
See you later.
I'm in the same situation
that I was this morning
which is,
these guys are great.
I think the concept
is really good,
I think it needs
a lot of refinement,
the menu needs broadening
for lunch,
all can be resolved.
But fundamentally,
I'm not used to being
asked to make
any kind of investment
without a business plan
and a very, very
clear proposition
of what they're going
to do with the money and when
we're going to get it back.
I've got nothing to trust
except for my gut instinct.
[Liz] I feel fallen.
-Deflated?
-Deflated after
so much hard work.
Thank you again, guys.
-Thank you for coming.
-It was good fun.
So, hopefully,
I will see you soon.
-Thanks a lot.
-Thanks, Jamie.
Bye, thank you.
Feeling like all of it's...
We've kind of almost had it
and now we've lost it.
Alec, thank you buddy.
Good luck.
Thank you.
-Liz, thanks a lot.
-Thank you.
See you again.
Thanks for the meal.
Thank you.
[Alec] I don't know
if either of them
are coming back.
I don't know if any of them
are coming back. Who knows?
I'm not saying no to it.
However, I'm mindful that
I'm a little limited
in my information,
so I have to go a lot
with my gut feeling
whether I feel right
to go and take this
punt or not.
Thank you all so much.
Thank you for coming
all the way from London
and thank you guys
for joining us.
[all clapping]
I think that
we've lost Jamie
-and that--
-The balance is on...
-It's whether Atul--
-The jury's out with Atul.
-So we'll see.
-We'll see.
[Fred] Lunch is over.
Now all Liz and Alec
can do is wait.
They came here looking
for £300,000.
The pressure is on
the investors now.
They have to make a decision.
They've got until
seven o'clock to come back
and make you an offer.
If more than
one investor returns,
Liz and Alec will have to
choose between offers.
But if no one comes in,
they'll be back
to their market stalls.
How do you feel?
Kind of goes ups and downs
from really nervous to...
it will be what it will be.
[sighs]
What's going through your mind?
You know, either way,
it's been a great
experience, you know.
Either way
Baba G's will continue.
Oh.
Hello.
-Fancy seeing you here.
-[all laughing]
-[Liz] Oh, my God.
-How you doing?
-Jamie.
-Hello!
-Hello, there.
-How are you?
Hi, how are you?
-You okay?
Exhausting day?
-Yeah.
-Couple of days?
-[Alec] Exhausted!
[Jamie]
Well, lovely to see you.
Lovely to see you.
Before you carry on
the conversation,
can I just say, Jamie,
I'm so sorry but you know
we've got a deadline
of seven o'clock.
We wanna give
a chance to Atul
to turn up on time.
-I'm still nervous.
-Still nervous.
-Oh!
-[Atul] Hello!
-[Alec] Wow.
-Hello, guys.
-How are you?
-[Alec] Hi!
[Atul] Oh, somebody's
not happy to see me.
[all laughing]
-How are you?
-Very well, thank you.
-How are you, Liz?
-Yes.
-Good to see you, sir.
-And you, too.
-Here we go.
-[Fred] Please can you
take a seat?
Jamie came in first,
so I think it's fair that we
hear from you first, Jamie.
What is your offer
and what is your vision
for Baba G's?
If we manage to identify
the right restaurant for you,
a fully fitted-out restaurant,
and we both agree that
it's the right opportunity,
and we believe
in the business plan,
then my offer
is an investment
of £200,000
to take that forward.
-Thank you.
-Thank you so much.
Atul, your turn now.
[Atul] Right, guys.
Your product is good.
You both are good.
I do believe that
this concept has got legs.
Maybe we can make
this concept go really big.
Based on that,
I would like to offer you
an investment of...
£300,000.
If 300,000 can fund
two restaurants,
I would love that.
Wow.
Thank you both
very much for your offer.
You need to take
a moment together
and discuss
which of the offer
you think is the best
and the most suited to you.
-[Liz] Okay.
-[Alec] Thank you.
[Alec]
The kudos from Atul...
[Liz] And his understanding
of the food and, imagine,
Atul Kochhar helping develop
our Baba G's range.
-I am torn because
-But...
it just keeps weighing
in my head about the fact
that Jamie has so much
knowledge literally
in our industry.
Right, the tables
are turned now.
What's your decision?
We've really thought
hard about this.
Um, we're gonna...
We're gonna go with Atul.
Whoo-hoo!
Congratulations.
Well done. Wise choice.
Thank you.
Did Baba G's
choose the right man?
I think yes, absolutely.
The moment I saw
this product in London,
I thought, "It's me."
They are a great team,
and they need some direction,
they need some tweaking.
In a lot of ways
I see my story within them.
I can't wait to get cracking.
[all] To Baba G's.
Good on them. I think
they're an Indian concept
and they have the opportunity
to work with
one of the greatest
Indian chefs in the country,
so hats off to them.
They're gonna do well,
whatever happens.
I'm pleased it worked out.
Cheers!
[Alec] It's nice how
the tables have turned.
I've never really had
to reject an investor before,
that was a bit weird.
I hate rejecting people.
That's how I got in there.
[both laughing]
I'd really like to thank you
for playing a part
in the experience.
Because we got it!
[all yelling]
[Alec] This is the start
of a whole new chapter
in Baba G's.
Relationships go through
up and down and as
the business goes down,
generally the relationship
goes down and as
the business goes up,
your relationship goes up.
And right now
we're really on an up.
I might even
get some nooky tonight,
you never know.
[laughing]
Wow, 300 grand!
Whoa, that was
a roller-coaster.
I mean, clearly,
there's something
so special about Baba G's.
And now that Alec and Liz
have their investment,
it's their time,
and I wish them
the best of luck.
I'm having a bit of
a nightmare right now.
Starting to shake.
[man 1] I'm really hoping
they say nice things,
'cause I've got
quite a fragile ego.
What is this, please?
[man 2]
This is the Halen Leek,
and it's served
with edible dirt.
Is he crazy, is he a genius?
I have absolutely no idea.