Million Pound Menu (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - Tiger Bites, Burmese Kitchen, Really Rice - Grab-and-Go - full transcript
[Alec] Okay,
I've made yours spicy, yeah?
[laughs]
Bhaji? No worries, thank you.
[Fred] Many of us dream
of owning our own restaurant.
Duck wrap, yeah?
Whole one, yeah?
[Fred] 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 wanna 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 Sirieix.
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...
[woman] First order of the day.
...but I could make it
really great."
-[call bell dings]
-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?
[Charlie] If the business plan
is right,
I'll fight to invest.
[Alec] Next order.
[Fred] The entrepreneurs
will face two
high-pressure days,
as they run
their own restaurants...
People are giving us orders
without table numbers.
Order 29, no table number.
[Fred] ...and try to convince
the investors
they're worth big money.
That's a £400,000 pork chop.
When the kitchen closes,
will the investors
make them an offer?
It's the most nervous wait
of my life.
The doors are open
for business. Welcome.
Today, three entrepreneurs
who dream of owning
their own restaurant
have the opportunity
they've been waiting for.
They've been chosen
to meet investors
hunting for new ideas
for one of the UK's
fastest-growing sectors.
Takeaway.
What the experts call
"grab-and-go."
Britain's grab-and-go market
is now worth a staggering
£2.7 billion.
And the investors
are always looking
for the next big thing.
The investors try out
hundreds of ideas each year.
Today, they're looking
for just one.
[Jamie] A few years ago,
I think everybody
wanted to eat al fresco,
now everybody
wants to eat "al desk-o."
And, uh, I think there's
an exciting opportunity ahead.
[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 the business.
The three teams
here to prove
they have real potential.
[Lacey]
Where's all that chicken?
[Fred] Scott and Lacey,
founders of Tiger Bites.
They serve fried chicken
in an Asian speciality.
Steamed bao buns.
We are making
extra-large bao bun
with a nice, big, juicy
bit of fried chicken
with sriracha mayo,
Chinese mustard greens...
-[Damian]
How is the rice going?
-[Kyle] Rice is nice.
[Fred] Best friends
Damian and Kyle of Really Rice.
They want to reinvent
the world's most basic staple
with a range
of international toppings.
What we're trying to do
is change
the perception of rice.
[Fred] And Wincie,
who's behind Burmese Kitchen.
She wants to introduce the food
of her childhood to the UK.
I'm serving mohinga.
It's the national dish
of Burma.
It is a curried fish chowder
that's been cooked
for hours and hours.
-Good morning.
-[Scott] Ooh, hello.
How are you feeling today?
-Bit too relaxed. Yeah.
-[Fred] Are you?
What an opportunity you have,
you've got four
of the biggest investors.
And all you have to do,
really, today,
is cook a fantastic dish
and convince them
that your idea
is worth investing in.
It's easy, isn't it?
-I'm not as relaxed anymore.
-[all laughing]
But, guys, remember,
the investors
can only choose one of you
to go to Manchester.
-Good luck, guys.
-[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.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-How are you?
-Very good.
You've got a big day ahead,
uh, we're about to try
three fantastic ideas.
They are all
for the grab-and-go market.
These people, now,
they don't
want to cook so much,
you know, they just want
to grab something, go home,
and just have that convenience
to just eat whatever they want,
whenever they want.
I mean, is it profitable?
I think it can be
and I think it is a sector
that is really emerging,
it's fitting
with the millennial tastes,
that idea
of convenience, value.
I'm Jane O'Riordan
and I build restaurant brands.
These are brands
you may have heard of,
uh, Nando's, Pizza Express.
I am hoping
that I'll see something today
that will spark
that magic flame,
something that's
so clearly unique,
that actually the consumers
will walk past other products
to come to yours.
Then you've got a winner.
More and more people,
you know, use grab-and-go.
It's obviously growing
really quickly,
there's a lot
of new concepts out there.
My name is Will Shu,
I'm the founder/CEO
of Deliveroo,
a online food delivery company
operating in 13 countries.
I'm super-bullish
and excited about, uh,
the grab-and-go sector.
You know, you see the success
of places like Pret, Leon...
And the thing about grab-and-go
and delivery,
the food has to travel well
in both circumstances.
So anything here
should also work well
on delivery.
[utensils tapping]
[Fred] The first entrepreneur
is Wincie.
She wants British diners
to enjoy the flavors
of her family recipes
from Burma.
The Burmese Kitchen
is where I cook
my mother's recipes
in a supper club.
That's where people
pay for tickets, they show up
and they get fed
really good food,
and are looking
for authentic experiences.
[Fred] Wincie's day-job
is in banking.
She set up her supper club,
Burmese Kitchen, two years ago,
in memory of her mother.
My mother was diagnosed
with lymphoma cancer
and that was in 2014.
And she struggled with it
for about 18 months.
And when she passed away,
this was kind of, almost,
my way of finding her again.
Burma is a country,
it's surrounded by India,
by China, by Thailand,
and everyone knows Indian,
Chinese and Thai cuisine.
So I think Britain is ready
for Burmese cuisine.
[Jamie] There's only
about four or five
Burmese restaurants in London
and that probably tells you
that there's
not a massive demand
for Burmese cooking.
My name is Jamie Barber,
I own a very large restaurant
in Mayfair, called Hache,
which I started
with Sir Roger Moore
and his family.
It's very competitive
out there at the moment,
but most recently,
Pret a Manger sold
for £1.5 billion.
So the prize
in the grab-and-go sector
is enormous.
I don't know,
I think, you know,
people haven't tried
Burmese food,
-so they don't know
what it is.
-[Jane] Yeah.
I'm Maurice Abboudi,
I've been in the industry
for over 20 years.
I work for Domino's Pizzas
as head
of business development.
The initial thing
that attracts me
are the people.
Now, you've
gotta be exceptional
to be able to compete
in that market.
[Fred] Each team
will serve the investors
a signature dish
that represents their brand
to prove their food
is as good as their idea.
I'm serving
a curried fish soup chowder,
called mohinga.
With turmeric,
with ginger, garlic,
and the final touch
is the pe gyaw,
split-pea crackers.
[Fred] Now, Wincie's looking
for an investor
who will back her dream
with £100,000.
-[all greeting]
-[Wincie] Hi, there.
-[Will] It smells great.
-[Wincie] It's called mohinga.
This is, um,
the national dish of Burma.
It's a fish chowder
that's been bubbling away
for hours.
What you'll see
are lots of garnishes
and each of them
have their own place
to create heat,
brightness, freshness
and sourness to the dish.
-Tastes amazing.
-It really does.
-Oh, thank you.
-[Jamie] It's really good.
I think it's terrific,
this is something
I could eat all the time.
I didn't know
what to expect, really,
um, 'cause I'd never
tried Burmese food.
I think, for me,
it was really important
to make it the way
I grew up eating it.
It's kind of like the Italians
and their Bolognese.
You know, every family
does it different.
"My grandma
has the best sauce."
And that's the same
for Burmese cuisine.
My mom makes the best mohinga.
Investors, what do you
wanna see in Manchester?
You know, if she does go there,
you know.
'Cause this is a great product.
And maybe it's slow-cooking
and you could
assemble it very quickly.
-Yes.
-How many more other dishes
could you prepare like that?
What is the scale,
um, of your ambition?
Do you see this becoming
two, five, ten, 100 units
of grab-and-go?
Or are you more interested
in promoting Burmese cuisine?
That influences, you know,
how we think about investment.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you.
I really feel like I've done
my mother proud,
and her legacy.
I cooked it the way
she always made it
and they loved it
just the way it was.
[Fred] Next to pitch
are Londoners Scott and Lacey,
founders of Tiger Bites.
Tiger Bites
is an Asian-American
fusion concept,
served in Taiwanese bao buns
with fried chicken
or vegan fried chicken.
[Fred] Bao are fluffy
steamed buns
from Southeast Asia
and they're a big food trend
of the past five years.
We serve gua bao
in my best Taiwanese accent.
Which are, like,
super-sized, XL-sized
bao buns
in the true American style.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
used to be a couple
and decided to sell bao
after traveling through Asia.
[Lacey]
I'm, like, the foodie one.
I'm in the kitchen,
I'm the hard worker.
But Scott has got
a genius mind, don't you,
for maths and numbers.
So we work
really well together.
[Scott] We are making
Kung Fu Panda bao.
It's called the Kung Fu Panda
because it's got a kick.
And then a homemade
kimchi slaw.
I'll tell you
what I think is concerning,
is that I'm not sure
this is something
that you're gonna have
a couple of times a week.
But in terms of grab-and-go,
I wanna make sure
that there's some length
to the day part.
But what else
are you looking for?
It's about affordability
as well as quality.
And getting that balance
is, uh... It's tough.
We want them
to be nice and warm
and perfectly soft and fluffy,
and I think
these are just that.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
want to open
two restaurants at once.
If they are chosen
to go to Manchester,
they'll be asking for £575,000.
-[all greeting]
-[Lacey] Hi.
-[Jamie] Wow, thank you.
-[Lacey] Thank you.
So, today, you have
one of our extra-large
steamed bao buns
with fried chicken,
sriracha sauce,
and you also have
sweet potato fries
with cinnamon sugar,
and our homemade kimchi slaw.
[Fred] Let's eat.
-Is there an elegant way
of doing this?
-No.
[Jane softly] No.
It's very tasty.
It's like proper "dude food."
It's... [laughing]
Uh, nothing healthy about it,
but it's delicious.
You're buying fresh chicken?
-Chicken's fresh.
Chicken's always fresh.
-Yeah.
[Lacey] The baos are frozen.
[Jamie] I thought
the bun disappointed.
I was expecting
something more fluffy,
just a little bit
more moreish.
But I thought
the slaw was fantastic,
did you make the slaw?
Yes, thank you very much.
-Is that your recipe?
-[Lacey] It's my recipe.
It's really good.
I really love the logo.
It's, like, really impactful.
-[Jamie] Yes.
-[Will] I could see that
being, like, everywhere.
I'm kinda curious
where your ambitions lie.
I feel like now,
bao buns are right on trend
to be taken
to that wide market level.
So, you're looking
for a small restaurant
which actually
has some seating,
where you've got 50% takeout,
something like that.
-Yes.
-[Jane] So your food
is going out the door,
counter-service,
and you just sit down
at the table.
-Exactly that.
-Is it a bit Nando-y, this?
I'm... I'm right there.
Chicken, grab-and-go...
[laughing]
[all laughing]
Right, investors, if you choose
to get these guys
in Manchester,
what do they need to do?
I think your food's okay.
I think the chicken
could have been juicier,
I think this was a bit flat.
So I'd love to see them fix it.
[Scott] If we had fresh buns,
there's definitely potential
for the dishes to be improved.
-Cool.
-All right, guys, well,
thank you very much, indeed.
-Thank you so much.
-[Fred] Thank you,
come with me.
[Lacey] The investors
touched on the fact
that we're using frozen buns,
but we're here
to get investment
so we can get more money,
we can get restaurants
and we can upgrade
our ingredients.
-[Damian] How are you?
-[woman] I'm good, how are you?
Welcome to Really Rice.
Senorita,
what will you be having?
[Fred] Last to pitch
for the trial run
in Manchester,
street food operators
Really Rice.
Set up by 27-year-olds
Damian and Kyle.
Their rice bowls
come with toppings
capturing classic flavors
from around the world.
Really Rice is the world
in a grain.
[Damian] Which trip
would you like to try?
We serve rice-based dishes
from the world.
Everything that we serve
is gluten-free and vegan,
but we also offer
flexitarian options.
A small Trip to Japan.
[Fred] Kyle, from Mexico,
and Damian, from Bolivia,
met six years ago
at a famous hospitality school
in Switzerland.
Our dream is to become
a global company,
to be able to cater
to everyone and anyone
who wants Really Rice food.
By Really Rice people.
Rice bowls
generally are on trend.
Um, and I don't think
anybody's done
a scalable version
of a rice bowl concept.
-It's broad, it appeals
to a broad demographic, rice.
-Right.
Um, and I suspect,
though we haven't seen it yet,
-that the economics
might be quite attractive.
-Very good.
So, today we're cooking
a dish called Trip to Japan.
Purple jasmine rice
with an apple Japanese curry.
And it comes with edamame beans
as a side.
[Fred] The boys are asking
for £250,000
to bring Really Rice
to the high street.
We left our jobs
to follow our dream.
It's now or never.
-[all greeting]
-[Damian] Hi, good morning.
How are you?
-All right, good.
-[Kyle] Here you go.
We have our Trip to Japan here,
and it comes
with an apple potato
sweet curry.
-Actually, it does smell good.
-The smells
are fantastic, yeah.
[Maurice] And it looks
visually great.
[Jamie] I think I felt
very health-conscious
eating it,
uh, which is a good thing.
I thought
the tastes were great,
I thought there was
a nice latent heat
that came through.
Very colorful.
I thought
it was a good product.
The rice, unfortunately,
I think, was a bit stodgy.
Some parts were great,
some parts okay.
Jane, do you like the food?
I am concerned I might
get through the toppings
and then not eat the rice,
if I have to be
brutally honest.
[Maurice]
What would you sell this for?
On the market,
we're selling it at £7.50,
but if we were on retail,
we will aim for £6.
The cost of making the bowl
is £1.25, I believe.
Including the packaging?
Uh, packaging, 10p.
Oh, that's very impressive,
you know your numbers, guys.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
-[Jamie] Thank you guys
so much.
-[Fred] Thank you.
[Damian] Nerve-wracking.
When someone tries your food,
-you're always sitting there
at the border of your seat...
-[chuckling]
...to see like, "Good? Okay,
uh, just nailed it."
Investors, we've seen
three very strong ideas
this morning.
Which one excited you the most?
You know, which one
is going to Manchester?
The investors
will choose the best idea
for a trial run in Manchester
by majority vote.
What about Burmese Kitchen?
[Maurice]
The product was delicious,
I think we all agree on that.
Consumer appeal?
I actually think
you can build...
Build quite a...
Yeah, a Burmese
restaurant chain, yes.
[Jane] I thought the food
was outstanding.
You know, amazing.
I'd love her to come
and do dinner parties for me,
but not necessarily
come and run a chain.
They all loved it.
And they haven't
had it before, so... [laughing]
Really Rice...
[Jamie] I can visualize
what that would look like
in a grab-and-go format.
So I can see it
as being a competitor
against an itsu or a Pret.
I'm afraid, Jamie,
I disagree with you, I...
I did not like the product,
I felt there was a lot of work
to be done on that.
-How did it go for you guys?
-Pretty good.
-Quite positive.
-Yeah.
[Kyle] Got a good feeling,
-but it's all up in the air.
-Who knows? Yeah.
You'd... You really...
You have no idea
what they're saying
in there now, do you?
[Wincie] No.
[Fred]
And what about Tiger Bites?
I think, of the three concepts,
it's the most
mainstream appeal.
And I can definitely
see it working
in a number
of different markets, so...
I liked it.
The product
didn't quite deliver
on what I was expecting.
Bao is what their whole product
is based upon
and their bao bun
was not good enough.
Right, so you have to
make a decision now, I mean...
So who is going to Manchester?
That's what I want to know.
Someone is about to be
a step closer
to the dream
of their own restaurant.
-How are you guys?
-[Scott] There he is.
[all greeting]
It was really impressive
to have you all there.
The investors really liked
what you did, loved the food,
um, but as you know,
there can only be only one
who goes to Manchester.
And that business is...
Tiger Bites.
[both cheering]
[Lacey] Yes!
[Scott] Oh, my God.
And, you know, the four of them
are going to Manchester.
-Oh, I'm so happy!
-This is everything.
Tiger Bites had, probably,
the largest mainstream appeal.
We could see
how you could take something
that had the beginnings
of a potentially compelling
economic model.
[Jamie] Tiger Bites
have got a way to go
to improve their food quality.
For me, Really Rice
had the edge on the food,
but didn't necessarily
have the edge
on the mass appeal.
[Maurice] The product quality
needs to be improved.
But I think they seem to be
the sort of people
that would listen.
They just pipped it
at the post.
I wanna see passion
for the food.
I wanna see, you know,
them take the feedback
on... That the food...
It needs to be the best bao
I've ever had, right?
And if they can nail that,
then I think we're
on to something
potentially very big.
They were very clear
with their feedback.
-[Lacey] Yes.
-You've got to improve
your food.
-It's gotta be the best
bao buns, no questions.
-[Lacey] No worries.
And the chicken, also,
you know.
It was eight out of ten.
It's gotta be a ten out of ten.
-It's gonna be
an 11 out of ten.
-[Fred] Brilliant.
-See you later, guys.
-Bye, Fred.
[Scott groaning in relief]
[Lacey] I'm so happy.
I think I need to, like,
go and calm down.
Today, Tiger Bites
opens for business
in Manchester.
Scott and Lacey
have just two days
to convince
some of the industry's
top investors
that they are worth
an investment of £575,000.
I feel great about today.
Modern fast food
with a strong brand
is the fastest-growing sector
in the restaurant business.
It's worth £2.7 billion.
No wonder we have
four investors interested
in Tiger Bites.
Tonight, Scott and Lacey
will open to the paying public.
-Look, look, look, look.
-[gasps] That's our logo.
[Fred] And they're about to see
their new restaurant
for the very first time.
[Lacey] Oh, my God,
I'm so excited.
That is, like, real proper
restaurant stuff.
-[Lacey] Oh, I feel so proud.
-[Scott] I'm gonna take
a picture of that.
Sick.
-[Lacey sighs]
-Let's do it.
[Scott] I feel like I'm about
to walk out on a pitch
at Wembley.
Oh, I feel... [sighs]
Look at our tiger.
I love that...
Oh, I love that, too.
-Feels like it's my restaurant.
-It is.
[Fred] Over the last two weeks,
Scott and Lacey
have been working
with a designer
so that they can
show the investors
their vision for Tiger Bites.
So, where's the fryers?
-Are these the fryers?
-Look at the size of them.
[Lacey] They're beasts.
[Fred] For the next 48 hours,
the investors
will watch them work
under pressure...
Voila. Look at that,
first task complete.
All right, don't look.
Come, let's work.
You don't know
what you're doing yet.
[Fred] ...only then
will they decide
whether they're worth
an investment.
-Little bit nervous now.
Just a little bit.
-[Lacey speaks indistinctly]
I'm nervous about the size
of this restaurant.
[Fred]
Twenty-nine-year-old Scott
and Lacey, 28,
grew up in South London.
Yeah, we met at sixth form
and then we went on a date.
I thought it went really well,
she obviously didn't,
and I never got a call back.
[laughs] Um...
And then, yeah, didn't see her,
then bumped into her
a couple of years later,
and we went on another date
and got a call back this time.
And, yeah, we went out
for about six years quite well.
We set up Tiger Bites
while we were together.
And then we ran
the business together
for about six months
before we split up.
[Lacey] We just
didn't work out.
I think it all crumbled
when we moved in together.
But as business partners,
uh, Scott and I actually work
really well together.
[Scott] It's almost
been like a kid
when you have a messy divorce.
And now we're mates,
and we make it work
for the sake of the business.
[Lacey]
There's a lot riding on this.
And, ultimately,
it's the two of us.
It's a hard thing
to put your trust
in someone else.
He's a good friend.
[Scott] And as much
as we might say differently
when we have an argument,
neither of us could do this
without each other.
-[Bopp] All right, mate?
-[Scott] Yo!
-[Bopp] How are you doing?
Mate, it looks sick in here.
-[Scott] Yeah it is.
[Lacey squealing] Oh, my God!
-[Scott] Mate, look at this.
-[all speaking indistinctly]
-[Fred] 9:00 a.m.
-[Lacey]
Welcome to Tiger Bites.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
have asked their team
to come up from London
to help them win investment.
[Lacey] Put the stickers
on the lids.
-Yeah.
-[continues indistinctly]
[Sophia] We all
want them to do well
because, at the end of the day,
we all work as a team,
and we're sort...
We're more like family.
[Lacey exclaiming]
-Super-fresh buns!
-Voila.
We've managed to find
a guy in Soho,
on the edge of Chinatown,
who made these
especially, bespoke, for us,
for today.
So, yeah, just salt the water
and then you add the chicken.
[Fred] There's just
seven hours till service
and Lacey needs to prep
her most important ingredient.
One of their main criticisms
was on the chicken,
so we've changed a few things,
we brine the chicken now.
I've changed the batter,
it's a thicker batter,
it's more spice,
it's more of
an American fried chicken.
Even if it's not
an 11 out of ten,
I hope they can see
that it's been vastly improved.
Scott and Lacey
want Tiger Bites to feel
like somewhere
they want to eat.
That's a smart move.
It's young people like them
who spend the most money
on eating out.
Morning, everyone.
-[Scott] Hello, Fred.
-[Fred] How are you?
-[Scott] Fantastic.
-[Fred] Wow.
Oh, I know, it looks so good!
-[Scott] Doesn't it?
-[Fred] Oh, it's amazing.
Just the kind of thing
we had in mind.
The investors,
they see the potential
in Tiger Bites
for a young market,
but when we were in London,
they were not convinced
about your bun and the chicken.
-What have you done about that?
-[Lacey] We've done a lot.
I've worked on the chicken
over and over and over.
I've done about 40 different
fried chicken recipes
over the past few weeks.
We're gonna brine it,
it's gonna be juicier,
-there's gonna be more flavor.
-[Fred] The brine will
make it moist.
-Exactly, the bun--
-[Scott] The buns.
Finally, we found a supplier
whose dough and buns
are amazing.
-[Lacey] They're incredible.
-It was the best one we tried.
The improvement, it's...
You can see it straight away.
So this is a new batter
for the chicken.
It's more of,
like, a KFC-style.
So, you've got
ginger, paprika...
I've put quite a lot
of ginger in
'cause I want the ginger
to come through
so it's a bit Asian-themed,
you know?
-[Fred] What about your buns?
-[Lacey] They're nice and fresh
and you can smell,
like, the fresh yeast.
-It makes such a difference.
-Yeah, no, it smells nice.
What's the difference in price,
compared to the other one?
-They're about 60%
more expensive.
-Sixty percent? Well--
-But they were cheap anyway.
Very cheap.
-You get what you pay for.
But there's always gonna be
room for improvement,
so we should
keep working on it,
and we are still
a young business.
-So I don't expect anything
to be that big--
-Youth is no excuse.
[chuckles] No.
Because the investors, tonight,
they're gonna invest £575,000
of hard cash.
Do you know what I mean?
It doesn't matter
that you're young
or that you're old.
-You've got an idea,
you've gotta deliver it.
-Gotta work for it.
I really like those guys.
They've got such great energy
and they are good fun.
But tonight, it all comes down
to the quality of the bun,
the quality of the chicken.
It's all in that first bite.
That Kung Fu Panda bun...
[exclaiming]
...has gotta kick some butts.
[laughs]
12:00 p.m. Five hours
till Tiger Bites opens.
They are going to be busy.
One hundred customers
have booked in for dinner.
[Lacey] They didn't have
the normal kimchi pickled veg
that I buy.
[Scott] What, there's no kimchi
in the Kimchi Slaw?
[Fred] While the investors
were unimpressed
with the bao buns and chicken,
the one dish they loved
was Lacey's Slaw.
[Scott] Doesn't look like
kimchi, bro, there's no way...
Nowhere near enough purple.
Should have
addressed that, man.
Can we do something about it
if I can find the kimchi?
[mutters] Yes, we can.
[Scott] Hello, mate,
you all right?
Kimchi's crucial,
and it's this certain kimchi
because the vast majority
of kimchi's made
using fish sauce.
However,
there's one certain brand
which doesn't use fish sauce,
so it's available
to vegans as well.
Everything today has to be
the best it can be.
Excuse me, have you got kimchi?
-[woman speaking indistinctly]
-No?
Excuse me, have you got kimchi?
-[woman speaking indistinctly]
-No? That's all right.
Last shop.
-Hello, mate,
have you got kimchi?
-[man speaking indistinctly]
Fish sauce, shrimp sauce,
fish sauce, shrimp sauce...
Eureka! How about that?
Last one.
[Fred]
In three-and-a-half hours,
Tiger Bites opens
to the Manchester public.
[Scott] Yo, yo, yo.
Got a little bit of kimchi.
-[Lacey] Did you check
for fish sauce?
-Yeah. [chuckles]
Sweetheart...
[Fred] Tonight's menu is aimed
at a big-spending
16 to 30-year-old market.
Five different baos,
each come with fried chicken
and exotic toppings.
They have crazy names,
and they are all £9.
Their PBJ
is Peanut Butter & Jelly.
That's satay sauce,
sweet chili jam
and crushed nuts.
Ooh-la-la.
The How Bao Dat
is chicken dipped
in bread crumbs,
served with curry sauce
and pickled ginger.
Taste the Rainbao.
It's topped
with colorful mango,
cucumber, carrot and mint.
And a classic
Kung Fu Panda bao
is served
with spicy sriracha sauce,
coriander, chili
and sesame seeds.
On the side, a portion
of loaded fries.
Cost: £5.
The investor's favorite,
Lacey's kimchi slaw,
is also £5.
And the menu
has a very clever twist.
Tiger Bites offers
a vegan version
of every bao for £8.50.
Amongst our friends,
probably half of them
are vegan and veggie.
So, I think to have somewhere
we can all go, all eat well,
all enjoy
the same sort of thing,
and no one has to worry
about feeling left out.
[Fred] It's two weeks
since the investors
tasted Tiger Bites.
Now, they are in Manchester
for a second helping.
Over the next two days,
they will test
Scott and Lacey's food,
service and business plan.
By tomorrow evening,
if they like what they see,
there might be
a fight to invest.
First to arrive
is Maurice Abboudi.
He's grown some
of the high street's
biggest names.
From takeaway
pizza brand Domino's,
to a chain
of sushi restaurants.
[Maurice] Tiger Bites
is a youthful brand.
The millennial market
is what drives
the future of the business,
Because if the millennials
like something,
they tend to grow with that.
So we've seen that
in the sushi business,
say, 20, 25 years ago,
there were hardly
any sushi operators.
That younger generation
buying sushi 20 years ago,
now in their 40s and 50s,
they're still buying sushi.
[Fred] Next to arrive
is Jane O'Riordan.
Over the last 20 years,
she's helped build Nando's
into a billion-pound
global restaurant brand.
Tiger Bites is on-trend
in several directions.
First of all, it's chicken,
chicken is protein-of-choice.
Spicy chicken,
even better, great.
It's also got a vegan option,
vegan is very on-trend.
And this is a concept
which can be produced
consistently, at pace,
from a semi-skilled kitchen
and replicated.
[Fred]
Renowned Mayfair restaurateur
Jamie Barber
has backed
a string of successful
dining brands.
[Jamie] I think us
as food investors
are always looking
for the spirit and energy
and vibrancy
that comes from the street,
and this certainly is
one of those ideas.
As I sit here today,
they've got to convince me
that the food offering
is amazing
and they've got to convince me
that they can deliver
a business plan
that makes sense.
[Fred] Last to arrive
is Will Shu,
founder and CEO of online food
delivery company, Deliveroo.
In the six years
since it started,
it's revolutionized
the takeaway business
in 13 countries worldwide.
I can definitely relate
to Scott and Lacey,
no question about it.
I remember what it was like,
my first year,
to go ask for money,
and people completely
didn't believe what
you were saying.
I actually have a lot
of empathy for people
in that position.
I'm here 'cause
I love the concept
and I love the entrepreneurs.
And I actually
do think it could be
a mainstream concept.
We see trends globally,
I think, ahead of a lot
of other people.
And I think bao
could be really big.
I don't know if it'll ever be
as big as the burger,
but I think it could be
a big category.
[Fred] Tiger Bites
opens for business
in less than an hour.
[Scott] No pressure, all right?
But if today doesn't go well,
there is no tomorrow.
They leave. So, make sure
their food is banging.
Of course, I know.
[Fred] Lacey will run
the kitchen tonight.
It's a big leap
from her previous career.
I left my full-time job
this year.
I was in childcare
for ten years.
Working with children,
it helps me when
I'm training staff.
I'm sort of nicely stern.
This has to work.
I'm not going back
to childcare. No way.
This is plan A, and there's
no plan B now. This is it.
[Scott] Five minutes, guys.
-[cameraman] How you feeling?
-Terrified.
And it's not often
you'll hear me say that.
Coming from
an Asian background,
the natural path for me
that everyone expected
was I'd go to uni,
get a good degree
and then go and get a good job.
It never really
worked out that way,
but this is something
that I'm fiercely
passionate about,
so there's absolutely no chance
that I'm letting this slip.
Any minute now, guys.
Scott and Lacey are about
to open for their soft launch.
Tonight, the customers
will only be paying half price.
Let's get everything put away,
clean, tidy, game face,
smiling.
[Fred] Normally,
this is an opportunity
for a restaurant
to find its feet.
But the investors
are coming for dinner.
[blows raspberry]
Everything's riding on it now.
Hello! Welcome to Tiger Bites.
If you'd like to come with me.
Everything on our menu
is available to meat eaters
and vegans.
When you're ready to order,
you can make your way
over to the counter,
place your order there.
Would you like any help
with the menu, guys?
The buffalo sauce has got
a bit of spice to it,
but it's offset
with the blue cheeses.
That's good. Scott is friendly,
and he's natural.
I like his approach.
-Look, we'll get two vegan,
and two non-vegan.
-Okay.
Can we get two
of the katsu curries, please?
Guys, check on.
First order of the day!
Two chicken Kung Fus,
one original fries,
one sweet potato fries.
[Bopp] Yeah.
Check on. Service!
We've got the vegan buffalo
and a vegan rainbow.
Oh, that's so good.
I've never had fried food
in a bao, that's a first.
I think thumbs up.
I need an original
with chili salt and
an original with sea salt.
Get the kimchi slaw, Deronee.
I'll do the fries.
Two chicken buffaloes
and a chicken katsu.
-I'm a bit too good for this.
-[both laugh]
As far as I can see,
everything is working
here in the kitchen.
What we need to see
is how it works over there
in the restaurant.
An hour and a half
into service.
[Lacey] Wow, there's a big
old queue over there.
[Fred] So many people
want to eat at Tiger Bites,
there is now
a queue for tables.
-We're starving.
-[both laugh]
-It smells nice. We just
want to sit down.
-[both laugh]
We waited about half an hour,
40 minutes, I think.
Tiger Bites is very ambitious,
and they filled
this restaurant tonight
with 100 customers.
Plus, they have takeaways.
-[cutlery falls]
-It's all right, my fault!
[Fred] Scott should be
controlling the floor, really,
and coordinating
and communicating
with all his teams,
and that is the issue.
-The thing is,
today is 50% off.
-Yeah.
And because it's 50% off,
they are ordering
the whole menu.
-And they are making
a night of it.
-Yeah.
[Fred] Okay,
I'll leave you to it.
[indistinct chatter]
Yeah, just say, "Guys, look,
if you don't mind,
we've got another reservation.
We need the table back."
We've got a bit of
a bottleneck, if you
wouldn't mind? Sorry.
[Fred] At last, Scott is taking
action to clear tables
and reduce the queue.
[Scott] We're a little bit
green behind the ears.
Sorry if the service
was a little bit slow.
[Fred] And he's just in time.
The most important guests
they'll ever look after
are about to arrive.
Tiger Bites has got
a lot of potential.
There's a lot of other
investor interest because
it's a great idea.
If I believe strongly
enough in it, I absolutely
will compete for it.
-Hello, hi.
-Welcome to Tiger Bites.
How are you?
-[Jane] Good to see you again.
-[Will] Hey, what up, Scott?
I have a lot of respect
for all three other investors.
-This looks pretty cool.
-Thank you very much.
If Tiger Bites really,
really impress,
it can definitely
be competitive.
And, hopefully,
for them, it is.
When you're ready to order,
if you'd like to make
your way to the counter,
-then your food will be
brought over pronto.
-Cool.
-[all] Well done. Thanks a lot.
-Thank you.
Right, so, I think we order
one of every side.
-'Cause I think we should
taste them all.
-[Jamie] Yeah.
-And in fact, we're gonna order
one of every burger, aren't we?
-Yeah, we are.
The investors are here,
by the way. Do you know that?
So, best behavior!
So, vegan maybe goes well
with Taste the Rainbow?
[Jamie]
I think Taste the Rain-bao.
-It's a... it's a joke.
-[all chuckle]
-[Jamie] Okay, I'm gonna let
you do the ordering. Go for it.
-[Will] Okay.
-Hi, there. You all right?
-[Will] Hey. How you doing?
-I was actually gonna have
a Kung Fu Panda with chicken.
-[Sophia] Yeah.
[Jane] In London, the food
underdelivered, to be honest.
The bao bun was soggy
and the chicken was dry,
and it just didn't
hang together.
And we were really
disappointed.
So, there is a lot
riding on tonight.
The product has to be great.
-Okay, is that everything?
-Oh, God, now we have to pay.
Last time we met
Tiger Bites, um,
the bao were frozen,
and I just was fairly
appalled by that.
So, I would like to see
a pretty big improvement
in the quality of the food.
Okay, then, guys, we have
the vegan popcorn chicken.
[Lacey] Same table,
chicken Kung Fu.
[Richard] We have
a chicken rainbao.
I thought I could see
big smiles, but they
haven't tried the buns yet.
Thank you.
That first bite needs
to combine the softness
of the bao with the crispiness
and juiciness of the chicken.
It just has to be perfect.
-Oh, first bite, first bite,
first bite.
-Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
[Scott] Oh, oh, oh.
That product has just got to be
the best bao you can find.
It has to be great.
The bao's definitely
better than last time.
Definitely better.
-The bao's dramatically better.
No question.
-[Will] Yeah.
It's very moreish.
That's what you're looking for.
I think the fact that
they've gone out of their way
and really stepped up
to get the buns done
speaks volumes for them.
I think they have made
a massive step of improvement.
[Jamie] I'm very conflicted.
'Cause I'm not crazy
about the product,
but I can see
that people like it.
This is awesome, though.
I'm no lip reader, but I think
I saw the word "amazing."
Definitely. About something.
It might have been
about a piece of cabbage,
I don't know.
But that's a good word.
How's everything going
for you guys?
What do you think
of the buns and the chicken?
I think the quality
of the product's
much better than last time.
[Jane] Much better.
We have spent a little bit
more money on the chicken,
and I think the brine
will help as well.
[Jamie] I remember being
blown away by this slaw.
-[Jane] Lacey makes this.
-[Jamie] Yeah.
It was great when
we tried it at the pitch,
and it's equally good.
Consistent and brilliant
is what you're after.
As long as there's been
a definite improvement,
then I've got a smile
on my face.
Lace-- Lacey. Gassed, gassed.
Gassed. Absolutely gassed.
-How are you, guys?
-Hey, how are you doing?
Everything okay?
Its just so much better.
So much better.
Is it so much better now that
you're considering investing?
-Probability went up.
-[Fred] Really?
The food came out quickly.
I think it feels right
to order at the counter.
You know, I like the fact
that it's very unfussy.
This all signals to me
good value and speed,
which were the two things
we were looking for.
Well, listen, guys,
thank you very much.
-See you later. Thank you.
-[all] Thank you.
I thought it was pretty good,
but I'm not going,
"That was a delicious
experience."
But the fact is everything
that was asked of them
during the pitch stage
they've taken on board,
and they've developed.
They tried different methods,
they brined it.
That shows that they're
responsive entrepreneurs.
There's a lot of food
for thought.
This was 100% better.
There's no question of it.
This was a dramatically
better bun.
The chicken quality
that we had was better.
So, it's a dramatic improvement
but still work to be done.
Lacey, thanks very much.
How are you doing?
Uh, I'm actually okay.
I think the answer to whether
or not it's a good investment
really comes down
to the discussion we have
tomorrow on the numbers.
And actually whether or not
the people behind it
are ready for a restaurant.
That's the question I've got
to mull over in my head.
Did you enjoy your food?
-I thought the food was
so much better than last time.
-Good.
I mean, you guys did
such an amazing job
improving it.
[Fred] Tiger Bites are still
in the game.
But Will has an important
question he wants answering.
Tomorrow at lunch,
I need to understand
how well this food travels.
So, tomorrow,
I'm gonna do a test,
fundamentally,
does a bao travel great?
Intuitively, it wouldn't
seem that way,
but I don't know.
We'll have to check it out.
-Hey, man. Thanks.
-Thanks, bro. See you later.
[exhales]
We've knocked
the first pin down.
We've still got another
massive day tomorrow,
important meetings.
So, get a good night's sleep.
Stay on the ball.
-Yes!
-Sick.
[Lacey] Good point.
[Fred] It's Tiger Bites'
final day,
and they're going to be
super busy.
First, they've got
a business meeting
with the investors.
Scott and Lacey must show
they know their numbers.
Then, a full-price
lunch service.
That £575,000 investment
still hangs in the balance.
"How to Pitch
Your Restaurant to Investors."
This was my reading.
[Fred] But before
their meeting,
Jamie wants to talk.
You know, I reflected
on it overnight,
and I couldn't really find
that I got myself
really behind the food.
If I'm an investor,
I've got to try and add value.
And that means that I've got
to live and breathe
and really, really
have faith in the food.
And unfortunately,
in this one, I just didn't.
So, on reflection, I just think
it's not an investment for me.
[Fred] All right, Jamie,
I understand.
You know, let's see
what happens with
the other investors.
-Great. Thank you. Bye.
-See you later, bye.
You've got all
the festival figures here.
Just in case.
-Morning.
-[both] Good morning.
-Oh! Look at you.
-[Lacey laughs]
Suave. Oh, yes.
-I've got some bad news today.
-Okay.
-Jamie's out.
-Okay.
-Just Jamie?
-Just Jamie.
So, you still have
three out of four investors.
This morning is all about
the business meetings.
You're gonna get
a grilling in there.
-Are you ready for that?
-Looking forward to it.
-See you later.
-[Lacey] Thank you.
[Fred] See you later.
[Lacey] Okay. [sighs]
How you feeling?
If it's not his kind
of investment or
his kind of product then...
it's understandable.
[Fred] As the remaining
three investors are
in competition with each other,
they'll each have one hour
with Scott and Lacey
to interrogate
their business plan
and financial strategy.
[Jane] They are asking
for £575,000
to open two restaurants
in very, very expensive
parts of London.
I think they might open
one for that.
I think that the numbers
tell me
that they don't understand
the numbers. [laughs]
And, actually, there's an awful
lot of work that needs
to be done.
[Maurice] Tiger Bites is
such an early-stage business.
But that's where
the opportunity lies,
is in identifying
something that is new,
something that could grow,
something that has
got potential.
[Will] We're a food
delivery business.
We work with 50,000 restaurants
around the world.
And what we do is,
we invite our top
restaurant partners
to take up occupancy
in our delivery-only kitchens.
And we bring them to areas
in which they don't have
a physical presence.
I think if Lacey and Scott
impress me enough,
I will definitely consider
not just delivery kitchens,
but also funding a restaurant.
There is quite a lot missing
from the plan.
What's the basis
behind your staff costs?
Manager and a head chef
about two and a half grand
a month.
And then the KP and three bar
and waiting staff
on about a grand each.
And have you got
front of house?
Okay, yeah, I didn't
factor myself into that.
[Jane] So, these costs
are very, very light.
You've probably got
about £75,000 a year
of other costs
which are not in there.
The sales, you're projecting
about 550 grand a year?
Projections on the gross hours
were fairly conservative.
Yeah, and have you got VAT?
-That was gross before VAT.
-That was gross before VAT.
I think you've got
to start thinking
the VAT does not belong to you.
It belongs to the government.
-It doesn't belong
to you. [laughs]
-It's not our money.
Whenever you're looking
at the numbers, I would not
even look at gross sales.
I was a little bit surprised
that they hadn't looked
at their numbers
a little bit more carefully.
Not understanding that VAT
needs to be taken off anything
that is sold in a restaurant.
They had not calculated that,
so, immediately, the sales
that they'd projected
were 20% lower.
Because everything
has got VAT on it.
Just in terms
of the two of you,
what do you think you need
from us to be successful?
We haven't been
doing it very long.
And, as you know, we've got
little or no experience.
But we're passionate,
and we're ready to be
molded to be a success
in this industry.
[sighs] There's quite a lot
still to do.
That's what
it feels like for me.
I think you've got
the beginnings of
a fantastic journey here,
and the brand is great.
But there's a huge amount
you need to learn.
Probably, for me,
I'm not gonna be--
Well, I know I'm not gonna be
the investor for you today.
I'm somebody who you
come and speak to
-once you've done
a bit more.
-Yeah.
-Thanks very much.
-You've been really helpful.
The numbers were,
at best, flaky.
I mean, [chuckles]
really flaky.
And there hadn't been
enough robust thought into it,
and they need
a lot more experience
at running restaurants
before they can
really understand
what that needs to be.
[Scott] It is disappointing
'cause we were
really keen on Jane.
But, you know, we've got
two more investors
who've got a wealth
of experience.
They're both still here
for a reason.
[Will] I'm not a restaurateur,
so my point of view's
going to be a little
bit different.
So, okay, tell me
a little bit more about
how well does
your product travel?
One thing we did notice,
especially with
the frozen buns,
is straight out the steamer,
they're nice and soft
and fluffy,
but once they start
to cool down,
they can go a bit hard again.
-Okay.
-Whereas now,
with the fresh buns,
fresh out the steamer,
they're soft and fluffy,
and they stay soft.
[Will] In order for me to feel
much more comfortable
about this,
I'd really want to understand
that this food is fit
for delivery as well.
'Cause that would need to be
a big part for the business
to succeed.
Yeah.
Jamie and Jane are out.
But Will and Maurice
are still in.
I think they believe
in the brand,
so there might still be a fight
to invest at the end of today.
At the end of their meetings,
the investors can choose
to spell out the offer
they'll make
if and only if they decide
to invest tonight.
If I was to invest,
it would be for
a hundred grand, give or take.
And it would be
for a proof of concept.
Then I think we need
to be able to say,
"Okay, how big can this get?
Can we roll this out?"
And at that stage, it would
require more investment
to really grow this business.
Yeah, I think that's, you know,
something that we'd be open to.
We're ambitious and we have...
We've got big dreams
for this business,
but the last thing
we want to do is run
before we can walk.
Yeah, but that's
no commitment at all.
I've still got to make
some decisions on that.
I'm gonna be looking
at the lunch service.
I'd like to speak
to a few customers.
-We'll see where
we go with that.
-[Scott] Brilliant.
My interest
is piqued, for sure,
because of the people.
And I think the product
can be improved to get it
to where it needs to be.
I am, in principle, interested,
but I'm not sure if that's
enough to actually make
a case for an investment,
so I need
to think that through.
So, you guys asked
for £575,000.
My view on that is,
that's a lot to ask
for a concept
that's relatively unfounded.
I would look at funding
maximum one site,
which would be about
200,000 to 300,000.
What we're looking for
was the initial...
around that sort of figure,
with a view to a little bit
more down the line.
-Put the bigger number down.
-Yeah.
I get it. It's cool.
Now, in terms of things
that I want to see further
on that lunch,
I definitely want to test out
the delivery potential of this.
So I'll bring
a delivery backpack.
And I'm also
just kind of curious
about eating this at lunch.
Yeah.
Definitely think Scott
and Lacey are people
that we could potentially back.
Obviously, we're talking
about funding a restaurant,
but for me,
where we can certainly add
a lot of value
is on the delivery side.
-We'll chat later on.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you so much.
-[Will and Scott] Thanks.
We woke up this morning
with four investors.
We've got two left.
Still feeling good.
But we cannot get complacent.
I still need to make sure
that lunch service
is impeccable.
They need to be impressed,
otherwise, they're
gonna be out.
A quarter of a million
pound lunch.
Businesswoman by day,
chef by night.
This is it. One last
lunch service for Tiger Bites.
One last chance to convince
the investors they are
worth the money.
One last chance
for Scott and Lacey
to change
their fortunes forever.
-Any minute, now, guys.
-All right.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
only set up Tiger Bites
a year ago.
An offer today
would change everything.
I put the majority
of my life's savings
into Tiger Bites.
I was gonna buy a house,
and I bought
a catering trailer instead.
Happy, happy. Big smiles.
My massive motivation
is to be successful,
not just for myself,
but for my mom and dad.
Because they stuck by me a lot
when I wasn't
the easiest person to stick by.
[Lacey] I don't come
from a family that,
you know,
starts their own businesses.
Its bigger than anything
I've ever done before.
And it will potentially
set me up for life.
[Fred] 2:00 p.m. The restaurant
is open for lunch.
Allez, Tiger Bites.
-[Ana] Welcome
to Tiger Bites. You okay?
-[woman] Yes.
[Fred] Today, 60 customers
are booked in,
and they'll be paying
full price.
I think we are gonna go for
the peanut butter and jelly.
Mmm. Try that.
Going well. Smooth, so far.
We're on top of the operations.
Think I am, anyway. [laughs]
I'm gonna be looking
to see what the customer
feedback is today.
-Hello, sir, do you have
a reservation today?
-Yeah.
[both laugh]
What they think of the food.
What their opinion is
on value for money.
Would they come back?
And finalize my decision
on that basis.
-Hello! How are you?
-I'm very good. Thank you.
Could I try the peanut butter
and jelly bao?
Just do that one for me.
Forget the rest for a minute.
Uh, so, this is
Maurice's order.
It's very important
that I get this right.
Shall I give him a big old bit?
Service!
-[Richard] Are you okay?
-Lovely.
-We have the PBJ.
-Lovely.
-Thank you very much.
-[Richard] Thanks. Enjoy.
Very good. Came quickly,
within nine minutes.
So, that was all good.
Let's eat.
Very crispy.
It's much crispier
than it was last night,
which is a great thing.
Um, it's moreish.
I think delivery is gonna be
a big part of this business.
I'm super excited
to see if this stuff travels.
Hello, Will.
So, what I'm gonna do
is take one bao
in their normal packaging,
ride around, take it out
and see what it looks like
and taste the food
when it comes out
of the backpack.
[Fred] As they are
in competition, both investors
are sitting separately.
Will's here, Maurice's here.
Investment's definitely on.
I can smell it. [sniffs]
It might just be
the bao buns, though.
Hey, Lacey. How you doing?
-Yeah, really good.
-Cool.
I'd like to try
one Kung Fu Panda in your
normal takeaway packaging.
I want to see, like,
if it's all put together,
does that make the bao
a little too moist?
Okay, no problem. To take away?
-To take away.
-Yeah, I'll do it next.
-Awesome, thanks.
-Won't be long.
[Fred] Before they back
any idea,
the investors always
conduct all-important
customer research.
How are you finding the food?
It's really nice. Quite fresh.
-So, how are you finding it?
-Amazing.
This is beautiful.
[Maurice] What do you think
about value for money,
just looking at it
and what you've spent?
Yeah, we just said that.
It's really good.
-Would you come back?
-Yeah, I would.
Thank you very much indeed.
The customers were happy,
and, ultimately, a restaurant
is about happy customers.
Those are the people
who are gonna come back
again and again and again.
And they'll keep you
in business.
-[Fred] Maurice.
-Hello.
[Fred] How do you
like the food?
It was better than last night.
-So, it keeps getting
better and better.
-It does keep getting better.
So, look, I think that now,
-the pressure
is on you, Maurice.
-Yes.
-You have to make a decision.
-I know. I know.
You have to decide
whether you want
to invest or not.
-Yeah.
-So, I'm gonna
give you a deadline.
-Okay.
-You have until
7 o'clock tonight
to come back
and make them an offer.
-Fair enough?
-Fair enough.
-Have a good afternoon,
Maurice.
-See you. Bye-bye.
I can absolutely see myself
working with Scott and Lacey.
In what capacity, I don't know.
That's something I need to go
and really think about.
I've got a few hours,
and I need to spend some time
looking at the numbers again.
Looking and thinking about
what is required to take it
to the next level.
-[Scott] There's your
takeaway, Mr. Shu.
-[Will] Cool, man.
-All right.
-[Scott] Cool.
[Fred] Now, Will wants
to conduct a special trial-run.
All right. Here we go.
[Fred] He needs to know
how the fried chicken bao buns
stand up to
the delivery process.
Usually, the average delivery
is around seven minutes or so.
My fear is that the moisture
might make the bao bun
a bit softer than it should be,
or a little wetter
than it should be.
So, we'll see what happens.
Oh, so, riding through
cobblestones.
Let's see how this...
food ends up.
There's Will.
Let me listen.
[Will] Let's try it out.
It's been about 15 minutes,
and I went over
a lot of cobblestones, too.
But it seemed to have kept
its form decently.
Bao doesn't feel too moist,
feels okay.
Is that okay? It's like, uh...
[Lacey] I've never had it
in a takeaway box
for 10, 20 minutes,
and then opened it
to see what it's like.
So, I hope it is good.
This is a big deal for him.
That traveled much better
than I thought it would.
It's still great.
The chicken was crispy,
the bun wasn't too moist.
I think this works
for delivery and takeaway.
-See you later, Will.
Thanks very much.
-Hey, thanks, man.
-Hopefully, I'll see you
in a couple of hours, yeah?
-[Will] All right, man.
I would say that
I'm much more positive
on the concept
than I was last night.
For sure.
But I have questions around
what's the use of my time?
And also,
the financial investment.
That's what I'm weighing
those two things up against.
Couldn't really have gone
much better, could it?
-I know.
-Well done.
Absolutely smashed it.
Well done for today.
We've done the best we can do.
All right, get back
to work now.
[laughs]
[Fred] Lunch is over.
Now, all Scott and Lacey
can do is wait.
They came here
looking for £575,000.
Will and Maurice now have
a deadline of 7 o'clock
to return with an offer
of investment.
Are you praying
to the Kung Fu Panda?
Pretty much. Pretty much.
[Fred] If they both come back,
Scott and Lacey will have
to choose between
competing investors.
But if no one comes in,
they will leave empty-handed.
[Scott] Keep thinking
I'm seeing things.
People moving behind there.
Then realizing no one's
eight foot tall.
-[Fred] Will.
-[chuckling] Will.
-Yo.
-Hey. How's it going?
-[both chuckle]
-Good.
-Better.
-How are you?
Good. I'm really good.
Your hands are a little sweaty.
Just a little bit.
Right, guys.
It's seven o'clock.
The deadline has passed.
There's a huge amount
of disappointment
in not being able to invest
in people like Scott and Lacey.
The product still needs work.
The customer acceptance
was good,
but fundamentally,
the business model
is not there.
They need a little bit more
building of the foundations
of a business.
It's a real shame
that I've come to
the decision that I have,
but it's based on hard facts.
[Fred] Deadline has passed.
I think that we need
to put them out
of their misery, Will.
So, can we please hear
your vision and your offer
for Tiger Bites?
I love that you guys
improved the product so much.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you so much.
Now...
I cannot give you
an offer for...
a restaurant.
I don't think either of you
are ready for that quite yet.
I think there's a lot to learn.
However, what I am
prepared to offer you,
and I think
this is super exciting,
is a spot in one of our
delivery-only kitchens.
In this way, you can reach,
immediately, tens of
thousands of customers
on our platform from day one.
My hope is together,
you know, we can help
raise capital for that
bricks and mortar restaurant
down the road.
So, that would be my aspiration
for the both of you,
and I hope you both
can share that.
I think it sounds like
a wonderful opportunity.
I'm really, really happy
to work with you,
-and...
-Yeah.
And to get things done
and to build the brand.
So, are you accepting
his offer?
-One hundred percent.
-Yes, we are.
-That's amazing.
-[Lacey] Amazing!
-I'm gonna get some champagne.
-Happy days!
-Will, thank you very much.
-Let's hug.
-Let's hug.
-That's awesome.
-Thank you so much.
-I'm really excited.
-So are we.
-[Will] This is gonna be big.
That was awesome.
That was, uh, a ton of fun.
I'm super excited
about the concept,
I'm so glad they took my offer.
And we'll see
where it all leads.
I'm excited for the future.
[Lacey] Oh, this is a good day!
-Awesome.
-Yes.
I'm so pleased.
I can't believe that...
Yeah, he can make
our dream a reality.
-Like, the geezer's--
-And he's going to.
The geezer's got the capability
to open every door.
-Shall we have a toast?
-Yes, please.
-Indeed.
-To Tiger Bites.
[all] To Tiger Bites.
-And to Will Shu.
-Scott and Lacey.
Brilliant.
What an amazing ending.
Scott and Lacey came here
looking for a restaurant,
but Will's offer really fits
Tiger Bites like a glove.
That was sick, what you done.
Sick. Absolutely gassed.
[laughter]
How do you actually keep
on top of cost of sales?
I think its just kind of
a waste of time.
Its quite brown to look at,
and sitting in a dark gray bowl
is just a bit gloomy.
That's one of the best dishes
I've had this year.
I've made yours spicy, yeah?
[laughs]
Bhaji? No worries, thank you.
[Fred] Many of us dream
of owning our own restaurant.
Duck wrap, yeah?
Whole one, yeah?
[Fred] 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 wanna 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 Sirieix.
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...
[woman] First order of the day.
...but I could make it
really great."
-[call bell dings]
-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?
[Charlie] If the business plan
is right,
I'll fight to invest.
[Alec] Next order.
[Fred] The entrepreneurs
will face two
high-pressure days,
as they run
their own restaurants...
People are giving us orders
without table numbers.
Order 29, no table number.
[Fred] ...and try to convince
the investors
they're worth big money.
That's a £400,000 pork chop.
When the kitchen closes,
will the investors
make them an offer?
It's the most nervous wait
of my life.
The doors are open
for business. Welcome.
Today, three entrepreneurs
who dream of owning
their own restaurant
have the opportunity
they've been waiting for.
They've been chosen
to meet investors
hunting for new ideas
for one of the UK's
fastest-growing sectors.
Takeaway.
What the experts call
"grab-and-go."
Britain's grab-and-go market
is now worth a staggering
£2.7 billion.
And the investors
are always looking
for the next big thing.
The investors try out
hundreds of ideas each year.
Today, they're looking
for just one.
[Jamie] A few years ago,
I think everybody
wanted to eat al fresco,
now everybody
wants to eat "al desk-o."
And, uh, I think there's
an exciting opportunity ahead.
[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 the business.
The three teams
here to prove
they have real potential.
[Lacey]
Where's all that chicken?
[Fred] Scott and Lacey,
founders of Tiger Bites.
They serve fried chicken
in an Asian speciality.
Steamed bao buns.
We are making
extra-large bao bun
with a nice, big, juicy
bit of fried chicken
with sriracha mayo,
Chinese mustard greens...
-[Damian]
How is the rice going?
-[Kyle] Rice is nice.
[Fred] Best friends
Damian and Kyle of Really Rice.
They want to reinvent
the world's most basic staple
with a range
of international toppings.
What we're trying to do
is change
the perception of rice.
[Fred] And Wincie,
who's behind Burmese Kitchen.
She wants to introduce the food
of her childhood to the UK.
I'm serving mohinga.
It's the national dish
of Burma.
It is a curried fish chowder
that's been cooked
for hours and hours.
-Good morning.
-[Scott] Ooh, hello.
How are you feeling today?
-Bit too relaxed. Yeah.
-[Fred] Are you?
What an opportunity you have,
you've got four
of the biggest investors.
And all you have to do,
really, today,
is cook a fantastic dish
and convince them
that your idea
is worth investing in.
It's easy, isn't it?
-I'm not as relaxed anymore.
-[all laughing]
But, guys, remember,
the investors
can only choose one of you
to go to Manchester.
-Good luck, guys.
-[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.
-Morning.
-Morning.
-How are you?
-Very good.
You've got a big day ahead,
uh, we're about to try
three fantastic ideas.
They are all
for the grab-and-go market.
These people, now,
they don't
want to cook so much,
you know, they just want
to grab something, go home,
and just have that convenience
to just eat whatever they want,
whenever they want.
I mean, is it profitable?
I think it can be
and I think it is a sector
that is really emerging,
it's fitting
with the millennial tastes,
that idea
of convenience, value.
I'm Jane O'Riordan
and I build restaurant brands.
These are brands
you may have heard of,
uh, Nando's, Pizza Express.
I am hoping
that I'll see something today
that will spark
that magic flame,
something that's
so clearly unique,
that actually the consumers
will walk past other products
to come to yours.
Then you've got a winner.
More and more people,
you know, use grab-and-go.
It's obviously growing
really quickly,
there's a lot
of new concepts out there.
My name is Will Shu,
I'm the founder/CEO
of Deliveroo,
a online food delivery company
operating in 13 countries.
I'm super-bullish
and excited about, uh,
the grab-and-go sector.
You know, you see the success
of places like Pret, Leon...
And the thing about grab-and-go
and delivery,
the food has to travel well
in both circumstances.
So anything here
should also work well
on delivery.
[utensils tapping]
[Fred] The first entrepreneur
is Wincie.
She wants British diners
to enjoy the flavors
of her family recipes
from Burma.
The Burmese Kitchen
is where I cook
my mother's recipes
in a supper club.
That's where people
pay for tickets, they show up
and they get fed
really good food,
and are looking
for authentic experiences.
[Fred] Wincie's day-job
is in banking.
She set up her supper club,
Burmese Kitchen, two years ago,
in memory of her mother.
My mother was diagnosed
with lymphoma cancer
and that was in 2014.
And she struggled with it
for about 18 months.
And when she passed away,
this was kind of, almost,
my way of finding her again.
Burma is a country,
it's surrounded by India,
by China, by Thailand,
and everyone knows Indian,
Chinese and Thai cuisine.
So I think Britain is ready
for Burmese cuisine.
[Jamie] There's only
about four or five
Burmese restaurants in London
and that probably tells you
that there's
not a massive demand
for Burmese cooking.
My name is Jamie Barber,
I own a very large restaurant
in Mayfair, called Hache,
which I started
with Sir Roger Moore
and his family.
It's very competitive
out there at the moment,
but most recently,
Pret a Manger sold
for £1.5 billion.
So the prize
in the grab-and-go sector
is enormous.
I don't know,
I think, you know,
people haven't tried
Burmese food,
-so they don't know
what it is.
-[Jane] Yeah.
I'm Maurice Abboudi,
I've been in the industry
for over 20 years.
I work for Domino's Pizzas
as head
of business development.
The initial thing
that attracts me
are the people.
Now, you've
gotta be exceptional
to be able to compete
in that market.
[Fred] Each team
will serve the investors
a signature dish
that represents their brand
to prove their food
is as good as their idea.
I'm serving
a curried fish soup chowder,
called mohinga.
With turmeric,
with ginger, garlic,
and the final touch
is the pe gyaw,
split-pea crackers.
[Fred] Now, Wincie's looking
for an investor
who will back her dream
with £100,000.
-[all greeting]
-[Wincie] Hi, there.
-[Will] It smells great.
-[Wincie] It's called mohinga.
This is, um,
the national dish of Burma.
It's a fish chowder
that's been bubbling away
for hours.
What you'll see
are lots of garnishes
and each of them
have their own place
to create heat,
brightness, freshness
and sourness to the dish.
-Tastes amazing.
-It really does.
-Oh, thank you.
-[Jamie] It's really good.
I think it's terrific,
this is something
I could eat all the time.
I didn't know
what to expect, really,
um, 'cause I'd never
tried Burmese food.
I think, for me,
it was really important
to make it the way
I grew up eating it.
It's kind of like the Italians
and their Bolognese.
You know, every family
does it different.
"My grandma
has the best sauce."
And that's the same
for Burmese cuisine.
My mom makes the best mohinga.
Investors, what do you
wanna see in Manchester?
You know, if she does go there,
you know.
'Cause this is a great product.
And maybe it's slow-cooking
and you could
assemble it very quickly.
-Yes.
-How many more other dishes
could you prepare like that?
What is the scale,
um, of your ambition?
Do you see this becoming
two, five, ten, 100 units
of grab-and-go?
Or are you more interested
in promoting Burmese cuisine?
That influences, you know,
how we think about investment.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you.
I really feel like I've done
my mother proud,
and her legacy.
I cooked it the way
she always made it
and they loved it
just the way it was.
[Fred] Next to pitch
are Londoners Scott and Lacey,
founders of Tiger Bites.
Tiger Bites
is an Asian-American
fusion concept,
served in Taiwanese bao buns
with fried chicken
or vegan fried chicken.
[Fred] Bao are fluffy
steamed buns
from Southeast Asia
and they're a big food trend
of the past five years.
We serve gua bao
in my best Taiwanese accent.
Which are, like,
super-sized, XL-sized
bao buns
in the true American style.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
used to be a couple
and decided to sell bao
after traveling through Asia.
[Lacey]
I'm, like, the foodie one.
I'm in the kitchen,
I'm the hard worker.
But Scott has got
a genius mind, don't you,
for maths and numbers.
So we work
really well together.
[Scott] We are making
Kung Fu Panda bao.
It's called the Kung Fu Panda
because it's got a kick.
And then a homemade
kimchi slaw.
I'll tell you
what I think is concerning,
is that I'm not sure
this is something
that you're gonna have
a couple of times a week.
But in terms of grab-and-go,
I wanna make sure
that there's some length
to the day part.
But what else
are you looking for?
It's about affordability
as well as quality.
And getting that balance
is, uh... It's tough.
We want them
to be nice and warm
and perfectly soft and fluffy,
and I think
these are just that.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
want to open
two restaurants at once.
If they are chosen
to go to Manchester,
they'll be asking for £575,000.
-[all greeting]
-[Lacey] Hi.
-[Jamie] Wow, thank you.
-[Lacey] Thank you.
So, today, you have
one of our extra-large
steamed bao buns
with fried chicken,
sriracha sauce,
and you also have
sweet potato fries
with cinnamon sugar,
and our homemade kimchi slaw.
[Fred] Let's eat.
-Is there an elegant way
of doing this?
-No.
[Jane softly] No.
It's very tasty.
It's like proper "dude food."
It's... [laughing]
Uh, nothing healthy about it,
but it's delicious.
You're buying fresh chicken?
-Chicken's fresh.
Chicken's always fresh.
-Yeah.
[Lacey] The baos are frozen.
[Jamie] I thought
the bun disappointed.
I was expecting
something more fluffy,
just a little bit
more moreish.
But I thought
the slaw was fantastic,
did you make the slaw?
Yes, thank you very much.
-Is that your recipe?
-[Lacey] It's my recipe.
It's really good.
I really love the logo.
It's, like, really impactful.
-[Jamie] Yes.
-[Will] I could see that
being, like, everywhere.
I'm kinda curious
where your ambitions lie.
I feel like now,
bao buns are right on trend
to be taken
to that wide market level.
So, you're looking
for a small restaurant
which actually
has some seating,
where you've got 50% takeout,
something like that.
-Yes.
-[Jane] So your food
is going out the door,
counter-service,
and you just sit down
at the table.
-Exactly that.
-Is it a bit Nando-y, this?
I'm... I'm right there.
Chicken, grab-and-go...
[laughing]
[all laughing]
Right, investors, if you choose
to get these guys
in Manchester,
what do they need to do?
I think your food's okay.
I think the chicken
could have been juicier,
I think this was a bit flat.
So I'd love to see them fix it.
[Scott] If we had fresh buns,
there's definitely potential
for the dishes to be improved.
-Cool.
-All right, guys, well,
thank you very much, indeed.
-Thank you so much.
-[Fred] Thank you,
come with me.
[Lacey] The investors
touched on the fact
that we're using frozen buns,
but we're here
to get investment
so we can get more money,
we can get restaurants
and we can upgrade
our ingredients.
-[Damian] How are you?
-[woman] I'm good, how are you?
Welcome to Really Rice.
Senorita,
what will you be having?
[Fred] Last to pitch
for the trial run
in Manchester,
street food operators
Really Rice.
Set up by 27-year-olds
Damian and Kyle.
Their rice bowls
come with toppings
capturing classic flavors
from around the world.
Really Rice is the world
in a grain.
[Damian] Which trip
would you like to try?
We serve rice-based dishes
from the world.
Everything that we serve
is gluten-free and vegan,
but we also offer
flexitarian options.
A small Trip to Japan.
[Fred] Kyle, from Mexico,
and Damian, from Bolivia,
met six years ago
at a famous hospitality school
in Switzerland.
Our dream is to become
a global company,
to be able to cater
to everyone and anyone
who wants Really Rice food.
By Really Rice people.
Rice bowls
generally are on trend.
Um, and I don't think
anybody's done
a scalable version
of a rice bowl concept.
-It's broad, it appeals
to a broad demographic, rice.
-Right.
Um, and I suspect,
though we haven't seen it yet,
-that the economics
might be quite attractive.
-Very good.
So, today we're cooking
a dish called Trip to Japan.
Purple jasmine rice
with an apple Japanese curry.
And it comes with edamame beans
as a side.
[Fred] The boys are asking
for £250,000
to bring Really Rice
to the high street.
We left our jobs
to follow our dream.
It's now or never.
-[all greeting]
-[Damian] Hi, good morning.
How are you?
-All right, good.
-[Kyle] Here you go.
We have our Trip to Japan here,
and it comes
with an apple potato
sweet curry.
-Actually, it does smell good.
-The smells
are fantastic, yeah.
[Maurice] And it looks
visually great.
[Jamie] I think I felt
very health-conscious
eating it,
uh, which is a good thing.
I thought
the tastes were great,
I thought there was
a nice latent heat
that came through.
Very colorful.
I thought
it was a good product.
The rice, unfortunately,
I think, was a bit stodgy.
Some parts were great,
some parts okay.
Jane, do you like the food?
I am concerned I might
get through the toppings
and then not eat the rice,
if I have to be
brutally honest.
[Maurice]
What would you sell this for?
On the market,
we're selling it at £7.50,
but if we were on retail,
we will aim for £6.
The cost of making the bowl
is £1.25, I believe.
Including the packaging?
Uh, packaging, 10p.
Oh, that's very impressive,
you know your numbers, guys.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
-[Jamie] Thank you guys
so much.
-[Fred] Thank you.
[Damian] Nerve-wracking.
When someone tries your food,
-you're always sitting there
at the border of your seat...
-[chuckling]
...to see like, "Good? Okay,
uh, just nailed it."
Investors, we've seen
three very strong ideas
this morning.
Which one excited you the most?
You know, which one
is going to Manchester?
The investors
will choose the best idea
for a trial run in Manchester
by majority vote.
What about Burmese Kitchen?
[Maurice]
The product was delicious,
I think we all agree on that.
Consumer appeal?
I actually think
you can build...
Build quite a...
Yeah, a Burmese
restaurant chain, yes.
[Jane] I thought the food
was outstanding.
You know, amazing.
I'd love her to come
and do dinner parties for me,
but not necessarily
come and run a chain.
They all loved it.
And they haven't
had it before, so... [laughing]
Really Rice...
[Jamie] I can visualize
what that would look like
in a grab-and-go format.
So I can see it
as being a competitor
against an itsu or a Pret.
I'm afraid, Jamie,
I disagree with you, I...
I did not like the product,
I felt there was a lot of work
to be done on that.
-How did it go for you guys?
-Pretty good.
-Quite positive.
-Yeah.
[Kyle] Got a good feeling,
-but it's all up in the air.
-Who knows? Yeah.
You'd... You really...
You have no idea
what they're saying
in there now, do you?
[Wincie] No.
[Fred]
And what about Tiger Bites?
I think, of the three concepts,
it's the most
mainstream appeal.
And I can definitely
see it working
in a number
of different markets, so...
I liked it.
The product
didn't quite deliver
on what I was expecting.
Bao is what their whole product
is based upon
and their bao bun
was not good enough.
Right, so you have to
make a decision now, I mean...
So who is going to Manchester?
That's what I want to know.
Someone is about to be
a step closer
to the dream
of their own restaurant.
-How are you guys?
-[Scott] There he is.
[all greeting]
It was really impressive
to have you all there.
The investors really liked
what you did, loved the food,
um, but as you know,
there can only be only one
who goes to Manchester.
And that business is...
Tiger Bites.
[both cheering]
[Lacey] Yes!
[Scott] Oh, my God.
And, you know, the four of them
are going to Manchester.
-Oh, I'm so happy!
-This is everything.
Tiger Bites had, probably,
the largest mainstream appeal.
We could see
how you could take something
that had the beginnings
of a potentially compelling
economic model.
[Jamie] Tiger Bites
have got a way to go
to improve their food quality.
For me, Really Rice
had the edge on the food,
but didn't necessarily
have the edge
on the mass appeal.
[Maurice] The product quality
needs to be improved.
But I think they seem to be
the sort of people
that would listen.
They just pipped it
at the post.
I wanna see passion
for the food.
I wanna see, you know,
them take the feedback
on... That the food...
It needs to be the best bao
I've ever had, right?
And if they can nail that,
then I think we're
on to something
potentially very big.
They were very clear
with their feedback.
-[Lacey] Yes.
-You've got to improve
your food.
-It's gotta be the best
bao buns, no questions.
-[Lacey] No worries.
And the chicken, also,
you know.
It was eight out of ten.
It's gotta be a ten out of ten.
-It's gonna be
an 11 out of ten.
-[Fred] Brilliant.
-See you later, guys.
-Bye, Fred.
[Scott groaning in relief]
[Lacey] I'm so happy.
I think I need to, like,
go and calm down.
Today, Tiger Bites
opens for business
in Manchester.
Scott and Lacey
have just two days
to convince
some of the industry's
top investors
that they are worth
an investment of £575,000.
I feel great about today.
Modern fast food
with a strong brand
is the fastest-growing sector
in the restaurant business.
It's worth £2.7 billion.
No wonder we have
four investors interested
in Tiger Bites.
Tonight, Scott and Lacey
will open to the paying public.
-Look, look, look, look.
-[gasps] That's our logo.
[Fred] And they're about to see
their new restaurant
for the very first time.
[Lacey] Oh, my God,
I'm so excited.
That is, like, real proper
restaurant stuff.
-[Lacey] Oh, I feel so proud.
-[Scott] I'm gonna take
a picture of that.
Sick.
-[Lacey sighs]
-Let's do it.
[Scott] I feel like I'm about
to walk out on a pitch
at Wembley.
Oh, I feel... [sighs]
Look at our tiger.
I love that...
Oh, I love that, too.
-Feels like it's my restaurant.
-It is.
[Fred] Over the last two weeks,
Scott and Lacey
have been working
with a designer
so that they can
show the investors
their vision for Tiger Bites.
So, where's the fryers?
-Are these the fryers?
-Look at the size of them.
[Lacey] They're beasts.
[Fred] For the next 48 hours,
the investors
will watch them work
under pressure...
Voila. Look at that,
first task complete.
All right, don't look.
Come, let's work.
You don't know
what you're doing yet.
[Fred] ...only then
will they decide
whether they're worth
an investment.
-Little bit nervous now.
Just a little bit.
-[Lacey speaks indistinctly]
I'm nervous about the size
of this restaurant.
[Fred]
Twenty-nine-year-old Scott
and Lacey, 28,
grew up in South London.
Yeah, we met at sixth form
and then we went on a date.
I thought it went really well,
she obviously didn't,
and I never got a call back.
[laughs] Um...
And then, yeah, didn't see her,
then bumped into her
a couple of years later,
and we went on another date
and got a call back this time.
And, yeah, we went out
for about six years quite well.
We set up Tiger Bites
while we were together.
And then we ran
the business together
for about six months
before we split up.
[Lacey] We just
didn't work out.
I think it all crumbled
when we moved in together.
But as business partners,
uh, Scott and I actually work
really well together.
[Scott] It's almost
been like a kid
when you have a messy divorce.
And now we're mates,
and we make it work
for the sake of the business.
[Lacey]
There's a lot riding on this.
And, ultimately,
it's the two of us.
It's a hard thing
to put your trust
in someone else.
He's a good friend.
[Scott] And as much
as we might say differently
when we have an argument,
neither of us could do this
without each other.
-[Bopp] All right, mate?
-[Scott] Yo!
-[Bopp] How are you doing?
Mate, it looks sick in here.
-[Scott] Yeah it is.
[Lacey squealing] Oh, my God!
-[Scott] Mate, look at this.
-[all speaking indistinctly]
-[Fred] 9:00 a.m.
-[Lacey]
Welcome to Tiger Bites.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
have asked their team
to come up from London
to help them win investment.
[Lacey] Put the stickers
on the lids.
-Yeah.
-[continues indistinctly]
[Sophia] We all
want them to do well
because, at the end of the day,
we all work as a team,
and we're sort...
We're more like family.
[Lacey exclaiming]
-Super-fresh buns!
-Voila.
We've managed to find
a guy in Soho,
on the edge of Chinatown,
who made these
especially, bespoke, for us,
for today.
So, yeah, just salt the water
and then you add the chicken.
[Fred] There's just
seven hours till service
and Lacey needs to prep
her most important ingredient.
One of their main criticisms
was on the chicken,
so we've changed a few things,
we brine the chicken now.
I've changed the batter,
it's a thicker batter,
it's more spice,
it's more of
an American fried chicken.
Even if it's not
an 11 out of ten,
I hope they can see
that it's been vastly improved.
Scott and Lacey
want Tiger Bites to feel
like somewhere
they want to eat.
That's a smart move.
It's young people like them
who spend the most money
on eating out.
Morning, everyone.
-[Scott] Hello, Fred.
-[Fred] How are you?
-[Scott] Fantastic.
-[Fred] Wow.
Oh, I know, it looks so good!
-[Scott] Doesn't it?
-[Fred] Oh, it's amazing.
Just the kind of thing
we had in mind.
The investors,
they see the potential
in Tiger Bites
for a young market,
but when we were in London,
they were not convinced
about your bun and the chicken.
-What have you done about that?
-[Lacey] We've done a lot.
I've worked on the chicken
over and over and over.
I've done about 40 different
fried chicken recipes
over the past few weeks.
We're gonna brine it,
it's gonna be juicier,
-there's gonna be more flavor.
-[Fred] The brine will
make it moist.
-Exactly, the bun--
-[Scott] The buns.
Finally, we found a supplier
whose dough and buns
are amazing.
-[Lacey] They're incredible.
-It was the best one we tried.
The improvement, it's...
You can see it straight away.
So this is a new batter
for the chicken.
It's more of,
like, a KFC-style.
So, you've got
ginger, paprika...
I've put quite a lot
of ginger in
'cause I want the ginger
to come through
so it's a bit Asian-themed,
you know?
-[Fred] What about your buns?
-[Lacey] They're nice and fresh
and you can smell,
like, the fresh yeast.
-It makes such a difference.
-Yeah, no, it smells nice.
What's the difference in price,
compared to the other one?
-They're about 60%
more expensive.
-Sixty percent? Well--
-But they were cheap anyway.
Very cheap.
-You get what you pay for.
But there's always gonna be
room for improvement,
so we should
keep working on it,
and we are still
a young business.
-So I don't expect anything
to be that big--
-Youth is no excuse.
[chuckles] No.
Because the investors, tonight,
they're gonna invest £575,000
of hard cash.
Do you know what I mean?
It doesn't matter
that you're young
or that you're old.
-You've got an idea,
you've gotta deliver it.
-Gotta work for it.
I really like those guys.
They've got such great energy
and they are good fun.
But tonight, it all comes down
to the quality of the bun,
the quality of the chicken.
It's all in that first bite.
That Kung Fu Panda bun...
[exclaiming]
...has gotta kick some butts.
[laughs]
12:00 p.m. Five hours
till Tiger Bites opens.
They are going to be busy.
One hundred customers
have booked in for dinner.
[Lacey] They didn't have
the normal kimchi pickled veg
that I buy.
[Scott] What, there's no kimchi
in the Kimchi Slaw?
[Fred] While the investors
were unimpressed
with the bao buns and chicken,
the one dish they loved
was Lacey's Slaw.
[Scott] Doesn't look like
kimchi, bro, there's no way...
Nowhere near enough purple.
Should have
addressed that, man.
Can we do something about it
if I can find the kimchi?
[mutters] Yes, we can.
[Scott] Hello, mate,
you all right?
Kimchi's crucial,
and it's this certain kimchi
because the vast majority
of kimchi's made
using fish sauce.
However,
there's one certain brand
which doesn't use fish sauce,
so it's available
to vegans as well.
Everything today has to be
the best it can be.
Excuse me, have you got kimchi?
-[woman speaking indistinctly]
-No?
Excuse me, have you got kimchi?
-[woman speaking indistinctly]
-No? That's all right.
Last shop.
-Hello, mate,
have you got kimchi?
-[man speaking indistinctly]
Fish sauce, shrimp sauce,
fish sauce, shrimp sauce...
Eureka! How about that?
Last one.
[Fred]
In three-and-a-half hours,
Tiger Bites opens
to the Manchester public.
[Scott] Yo, yo, yo.
Got a little bit of kimchi.
-[Lacey] Did you check
for fish sauce?
-Yeah. [chuckles]
Sweetheart...
[Fred] Tonight's menu is aimed
at a big-spending
16 to 30-year-old market.
Five different baos,
each come with fried chicken
and exotic toppings.
They have crazy names,
and they are all £9.
Their PBJ
is Peanut Butter & Jelly.
That's satay sauce,
sweet chili jam
and crushed nuts.
Ooh-la-la.
The How Bao Dat
is chicken dipped
in bread crumbs,
served with curry sauce
and pickled ginger.
Taste the Rainbao.
It's topped
with colorful mango,
cucumber, carrot and mint.
And a classic
Kung Fu Panda bao
is served
with spicy sriracha sauce,
coriander, chili
and sesame seeds.
On the side, a portion
of loaded fries.
Cost: £5.
The investor's favorite,
Lacey's kimchi slaw,
is also £5.
And the menu
has a very clever twist.
Tiger Bites offers
a vegan version
of every bao for £8.50.
Amongst our friends,
probably half of them
are vegan and veggie.
So, I think to have somewhere
we can all go, all eat well,
all enjoy
the same sort of thing,
and no one has to worry
about feeling left out.
[Fred] It's two weeks
since the investors
tasted Tiger Bites.
Now, they are in Manchester
for a second helping.
Over the next two days,
they will test
Scott and Lacey's food,
service and business plan.
By tomorrow evening,
if they like what they see,
there might be
a fight to invest.
First to arrive
is Maurice Abboudi.
He's grown some
of the high street's
biggest names.
From takeaway
pizza brand Domino's,
to a chain
of sushi restaurants.
[Maurice] Tiger Bites
is a youthful brand.
The millennial market
is what drives
the future of the business,
Because if the millennials
like something,
they tend to grow with that.
So we've seen that
in the sushi business,
say, 20, 25 years ago,
there were hardly
any sushi operators.
That younger generation
buying sushi 20 years ago,
now in their 40s and 50s,
they're still buying sushi.
[Fred] Next to arrive
is Jane O'Riordan.
Over the last 20 years,
she's helped build Nando's
into a billion-pound
global restaurant brand.
Tiger Bites is on-trend
in several directions.
First of all, it's chicken,
chicken is protein-of-choice.
Spicy chicken,
even better, great.
It's also got a vegan option,
vegan is very on-trend.
And this is a concept
which can be produced
consistently, at pace,
from a semi-skilled kitchen
and replicated.
[Fred]
Renowned Mayfair restaurateur
Jamie Barber
has backed
a string of successful
dining brands.
[Jamie] I think us
as food investors
are always looking
for the spirit and energy
and vibrancy
that comes from the street,
and this certainly is
one of those ideas.
As I sit here today,
they've got to convince me
that the food offering
is amazing
and they've got to convince me
that they can deliver
a business plan
that makes sense.
[Fred] Last to arrive
is Will Shu,
founder and CEO of online food
delivery company, Deliveroo.
In the six years
since it started,
it's revolutionized
the takeaway business
in 13 countries worldwide.
I can definitely relate
to Scott and Lacey,
no question about it.
I remember what it was like,
my first year,
to go ask for money,
and people completely
didn't believe what
you were saying.
I actually have a lot
of empathy for people
in that position.
I'm here 'cause
I love the concept
and I love the entrepreneurs.
And I actually
do think it could be
a mainstream concept.
We see trends globally,
I think, ahead of a lot
of other people.
And I think bao
could be really big.
I don't know if it'll ever be
as big as the burger,
but I think it could be
a big category.
[Fred] Tiger Bites
opens for business
in less than an hour.
[Scott] No pressure, all right?
But if today doesn't go well,
there is no tomorrow.
They leave. So, make sure
their food is banging.
Of course, I know.
[Fred] Lacey will run
the kitchen tonight.
It's a big leap
from her previous career.
I left my full-time job
this year.
I was in childcare
for ten years.
Working with children,
it helps me when
I'm training staff.
I'm sort of nicely stern.
This has to work.
I'm not going back
to childcare. No way.
This is plan A, and there's
no plan B now. This is it.
[Scott] Five minutes, guys.
-[cameraman] How you feeling?
-Terrified.
And it's not often
you'll hear me say that.
Coming from
an Asian background,
the natural path for me
that everyone expected
was I'd go to uni,
get a good degree
and then go and get a good job.
It never really
worked out that way,
but this is something
that I'm fiercely
passionate about,
so there's absolutely no chance
that I'm letting this slip.
Any minute now, guys.
Scott and Lacey are about
to open for their soft launch.
Tonight, the customers
will only be paying half price.
Let's get everything put away,
clean, tidy, game face,
smiling.
[Fred] Normally,
this is an opportunity
for a restaurant
to find its feet.
But the investors
are coming for dinner.
[blows raspberry]
Everything's riding on it now.
Hello! Welcome to Tiger Bites.
If you'd like to come with me.
Everything on our menu
is available to meat eaters
and vegans.
When you're ready to order,
you can make your way
over to the counter,
place your order there.
Would you like any help
with the menu, guys?
The buffalo sauce has got
a bit of spice to it,
but it's offset
with the blue cheeses.
That's good. Scott is friendly,
and he's natural.
I like his approach.
-Look, we'll get two vegan,
and two non-vegan.
-Okay.
Can we get two
of the katsu curries, please?
Guys, check on.
First order of the day!
Two chicken Kung Fus,
one original fries,
one sweet potato fries.
[Bopp] Yeah.
Check on. Service!
We've got the vegan buffalo
and a vegan rainbow.
Oh, that's so good.
I've never had fried food
in a bao, that's a first.
I think thumbs up.
I need an original
with chili salt and
an original with sea salt.
Get the kimchi slaw, Deronee.
I'll do the fries.
Two chicken buffaloes
and a chicken katsu.
-I'm a bit too good for this.
-[both laugh]
As far as I can see,
everything is working
here in the kitchen.
What we need to see
is how it works over there
in the restaurant.
An hour and a half
into service.
[Lacey] Wow, there's a big
old queue over there.
[Fred] So many people
want to eat at Tiger Bites,
there is now
a queue for tables.
-We're starving.
-[both laugh]
-It smells nice. We just
want to sit down.
-[both laugh]
We waited about half an hour,
40 minutes, I think.
Tiger Bites is very ambitious,
and they filled
this restaurant tonight
with 100 customers.
Plus, they have takeaways.
-[cutlery falls]
-It's all right, my fault!
[Fred] Scott should be
controlling the floor, really,
and coordinating
and communicating
with all his teams,
and that is the issue.
-The thing is,
today is 50% off.
-Yeah.
And because it's 50% off,
they are ordering
the whole menu.
-And they are making
a night of it.
-Yeah.
[Fred] Okay,
I'll leave you to it.
[indistinct chatter]
Yeah, just say, "Guys, look,
if you don't mind,
we've got another reservation.
We need the table back."
We've got a bit of
a bottleneck, if you
wouldn't mind? Sorry.
[Fred] At last, Scott is taking
action to clear tables
and reduce the queue.
[Scott] We're a little bit
green behind the ears.
Sorry if the service
was a little bit slow.
[Fred] And he's just in time.
The most important guests
they'll ever look after
are about to arrive.
Tiger Bites has got
a lot of potential.
There's a lot of other
investor interest because
it's a great idea.
If I believe strongly
enough in it, I absolutely
will compete for it.
-Hello, hi.
-Welcome to Tiger Bites.
How are you?
-[Jane] Good to see you again.
-[Will] Hey, what up, Scott?
I have a lot of respect
for all three other investors.
-This looks pretty cool.
-Thank you very much.
If Tiger Bites really,
really impress,
it can definitely
be competitive.
And, hopefully,
for them, it is.
When you're ready to order,
if you'd like to make
your way to the counter,
-then your food will be
brought over pronto.
-Cool.
-[all] Well done. Thanks a lot.
-Thank you.
Right, so, I think we order
one of every side.
-'Cause I think we should
taste them all.
-[Jamie] Yeah.
-And in fact, we're gonna order
one of every burger, aren't we?
-Yeah, we are.
The investors are here,
by the way. Do you know that?
So, best behavior!
So, vegan maybe goes well
with Taste the Rainbow?
[Jamie]
I think Taste the Rain-bao.
-It's a... it's a joke.
-[all chuckle]
-[Jamie] Okay, I'm gonna let
you do the ordering. Go for it.
-[Will] Okay.
-Hi, there. You all right?
-[Will] Hey. How you doing?
-I was actually gonna have
a Kung Fu Panda with chicken.
-[Sophia] Yeah.
[Jane] In London, the food
underdelivered, to be honest.
The bao bun was soggy
and the chicken was dry,
and it just didn't
hang together.
And we were really
disappointed.
So, there is a lot
riding on tonight.
The product has to be great.
-Okay, is that everything?
-Oh, God, now we have to pay.
Last time we met
Tiger Bites, um,
the bao were frozen,
and I just was fairly
appalled by that.
So, I would like to see
a pretty big improvement
in the quality of the food.
Okay, then, guys, we have
the vegan popcorn chicken.
[Lacey] Same table,
chicken Kung Fu.
[Richard] We have
a chicken rainbao.
I thought I could see
big smiles, but they
haven't tried the buns yet.
Thank you.
That first bite needs
to combine the softness
of the bao with the crispiness
and juiciness of the chicken.
It just has to be perfect.
-Oh, first bite, first bite,
first bite.
-Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
[Scott] Oh, oh, oh.
That product has just got to be
the best bao you can find.
It has to be great.
The bao's definitely
better than last time.
Definitely better.
-The bao's dramatically better.
No question.
-[Will] Yeah.
It's very moreish.
That's what you're looking for.
I think the fact that
they've gone out of their way
and really stepped up
to get the buns done
speaks volumes for them.
I think they have made
a massive step of improvement.
[Jamie] I'm very conflicted.
'Cause I'm not crazy
about the product,
but I can see
that people like it.
This is awesome, though.
I'm no lip reader, but I think
I saw the word "amazing."
Definitely. About something.
It might have been
about a piece of cabbage,
I don't know.
But that's a good word.
How's everything going
for you guys?
What do you think
of the buns and the chicken?
I think the quality
of the product's
much better than last time.
[Jane] Much better.
We have spent a little bit
more money on the chicken,
and I think the brine
will help as well.
[Jamie] I remember being
blown away by this slaw.
-[Jane] Lacey makes this.
-[Jamie] Yeah.
It was great when
we tried it at the pitch,
and it's equally good.
Consistent and brilliant
is what you're after.
As long as there's been
a definite improvement,
then I've got a smile
on my face.
Lace-- Lacey. Gassed, gassed.
Gassed. Absolutely gassed.
-How are you, guys?
-Hey, how are you doing?
Everything okay?
Its just so much better.
So much better.
Is it so much better now that
you're considering investing?
-Probability went up.
-[Fred] Really?
The food came out quickly.
I think it feels right
to order at the counter.
You know, I like the fact
that it's very unfussy.
This all signals to me
good value and speed,
which were the two things
we were looking for.
Well, listen, guys,
thank you very much.
-See you later. Thank you.
-[all] Thank you.
I thought it was pretty good,
but I'm not going,
"That was a delicious
experience."
But the fact is everything
that was asked of them
during the pitch stage
they've taken on board,
and they've developed.
They tried different methods,
they brined it.
That shows that they're
responsive entrepreneurs.
There's a lot of food
for thought.
This was 100% better.
There's no question of it.
This was a dramatically
better bun.
The chicken quality
that we had was better.
So, it's a dramatic improvement
but still work to be done.
Lacey, thanks very much.
How are you doing?
Uh, I'm actually okay.
I think the answer to whether
or not it's a good investment
really comes down
to the discussion we have
tomorrow on the numbers.
And actually whether or not
the people behind it
are ready for a restaurant.
That's the question I've got
to mull over in my head.
Did you enjoy your food?
-I thought the food was
so much better than last time.
-Good.
I mean, you guys did
such an amazing job
improving it.
[Fred] Tiger Bites are still
in the game.
But Will has an important
question he wants answering.
Tomorrow at lunch,
I need to understand
how well this food travels.
So, tomorrow,
I'm gonna do a test,
fundamentally,
does a bao travel great?
Intuitively, it wouldn't
seem that way,
but I don't know.
We'll have to check it out.
-Hey, man. Thanks.
-Thanks, bro. See you later.
[exhales]
We've knocked
the first pin down.
We've still got another
massive day tomorrow,
important meetings.
So, get a good night's sleep.
Stay on the ball.
-Yes!
-Sick.
[Lacey] Good point.
[Fred] It's Tiger Bites'
final day,
and they're going to be
super busy.
First, they've got
a business meeting
with the investors.
Scott and Lacey must show
they know their numbers.
Then, a full-price
lunch service.
That £575,000 investment
still hangs in the balance.
"How to Pitch
Your Restaurant to Investors."
This was my reading.
[Fred] But before
their meeting,
Jamie wants to talk.
You know, I reflected
on it overnight,
and I couldn't really find
that I got myself
really behind the food.
If I'm an investor,
I've got to try and add value.
And that means that I've got
to live and breathe
and really, really
have faith in the food.
And unfortunately,
in this one, I just didn't.
So, on reflection, I just think
it's not an investment for me.
[Fred] All right, Jamie,
I understand.
You know, let's see
what happens with
the other investors.
-Great. Thank you. Bye.
-See you later, bye.
You've got all
the festival figures here.
Just in case.
-Morning.
-[both] Good morning.
-Oh! Look at you.
-[Lacey laughs]
Suave. Oh, yes.
-I've got some bad news today.
-Okay.
-Jamie's out.
-Okay.
-Just Jamie?
-Just Jamie.
So, you still have
three out of four investors.
This morning is all about
the business meetings.
You're gonna get
a grilling in there.
-Are you ready for that?
-Looking forward to it.
-See you later.
-[Lacey] Thank you.
[Fred] See you later.
[Lacey] Okay. [sighs]
How you feeling?
If it's not his kind
of investment or
his kind of product then...
it's understandable.
[Fred] As the remaining
three investors are
in competition with each other,
they'll each have one hour
with Scott and Lacey
to interrogate
their business plan
and financial strategy.
[Jane] They are asking
for £575,000
to open two restaurants
in very, very expensive
parts of London.
I think they might open
one for that.
I think that the numbers
tell me
that they don't understand
the numbers. [laughs]
And, actually, there's an awful
lot of work that needs
to be done.
[Maurice] Tiger Bites is
such an early-stage business.
But that's where
the opportunity lies,
is in identifying
something that is new,
something that could grow,
something that has
got potential.
[Will] We're a food
delivery business.
We work with 50,000 restaurants
around the world.
And what we do is,
we invite our top
restaurant partners
to take up occupancy
in our delivery-only kitchens.
And we bring them to areas
in which they don't have
a physical presence.
I think if Lacey and Scott
impress me enough,
I will definitely consider
not just delivery kitchens,
but also funding a restaurant.
There is quite a lot missing
from the plan.
What's the basis
behind your staff costs?
Manager and a head chef
about two and a half grand
a month.
And then the KP and three bar
and waiting staff
on about a grand each.
And have you got
front of house?
Okay, yeah, I didn't
factor myself into that.
[Jane] So, these costs
are very, very light.
You've probably got
about £75,000 a year
of other costs
which are not in there.
The sales, you're projecting
about 550 grand a year?
Projections on the gross hours
were fairly conservative.
Yeah, and have you got VAT?
-That was gross before VAT.
-That was gross before VAT.
I think you've got
to start thinking
the VAT does not belong to you.
It belongs to the government.
-It doesn't belong
to you. [laughs]
-It's not our money.
Whenever you're looking
at the numbers, I would not
even look at gross sales.
I was a little bit surprised
that they hadn't looked
at their numbers
a little bit more carefully.
Not understanding that VAT
needs to be taken off anything
that is sold in a restaurant.
They had not calculated that,
so, immediately, the sales
that they'd projected
were 20% lower.
Because everything
has got VAT on it.
Just in terms
of the two of you,
what do you think you need
from us to be successful?
We haven't been
doing it very long.
And, as you know, we've got
little or no experience.
But we're passionate,
and we're ready to be
molded to be a success
in this industry.
[sighs] There's quite a lot
still to do.
That's what
it feels like for me.
I think you've got
the beginnings of
a fantastic journey here,
and the brand is great.
But there's a huge amount
you need to learn.
Probably, for me,
I'm not gonna be--
Well, I know I'm not gonna be
the investor for you today.
I'm somebody who you
come and speak to
-once you've done
a bit more.
-Yeah.
-Thanks very much.
-You've been really helpful.
The numbers were,
at best, flaky.
I mean, [chuckles]
really flaky.
And there hadn't been
enough robust thought into it,
and they need
a lot more experience
at running restaurants
before they can
really understand
what that needs to be.
[Scott] It is disappointing
'cause we were
really keen on Jane.
But, you know, we've got
two more investors
who've got a wealth
of experience.
They're both still here
for a reason.
[Will] I'm not a restaurateur,
so my point of view's
going to be a little
bit different.
So, okay, tell me
a little bit more about
how well does
your product travel?
One thing we did notice,
especially with
the frozen buns,
is straight out the steamer,
they're nice and soft
and fluffy,
but once they start
to cool down,
they can go a bit hard again.
-Okay.
-Whereas now,
with the fresh buns,
fresh out the steamer,
they're soft and fluffy,
and they stay soft.
[Will] In order for me to feel
much more comfortable
about this,
I'd really want to understand
that this food is fit
for delivery as well.
'Cause that would need to be
a big part for the business
to succeed.
Yeah.
Jamie and Jane are out.
But Will and Maurice
are still in.
I think they believe
in the brand,
so there might still be a fight
to invest at the end of today.
At the end of their meetings,
the investors can choose
to spell out the offer
they'll make
if and only if they decide
to invest tonight.
If I was to invest,
it would be for
a hundred grand, give or take.
And it would be
for a proof of concept.
Then I think we need
to be able to say,
"Okay, how big can this get?
Can we roll this out?"
And at that stage, it would
require more investment
to really grow this business.
Yeah, I think that's, you know,
something that we'd be open to.
We're ambitious and we have...
We've got big dreams
for this business,
but the last thing
we want to do is run
before we can walk.
Yeah, but that's
no commitment at all.
I've still got to make
some decisions on that.
I'm gonna be looking
at the lunch service.
I'd like to speak
to a few customers.
-We'll see where
we go with that.
-[Scott] Brilliant.
My interest
is piqued, for sure,
because of the people.
And I think the product
can be improved to get it
to where it needs to be.
I am, in principle, interested,
but I'm not sure if that's
enough to actually make
a case for an investment,
so I need
to think that through.
So, you guys asked
for £575,000.
My view on that is,
that's a lot to ask
for a concept
that's relatively unfounded.
I would look at funding
maximum one site,
which would be about
200,000 to 300,000.
What we're looking for
was the initial...
around that sort of figure,
with a view to a little bit
more down the line.
-Put the bigger number down.
-Yeah.
I get it. It's cool.
Now, in terms of things
that I want to see further
on that lunch,
I definitely want to test out
the delivery potential of this.
So I'll bring
a delivery backpack.
And I'm also
just kind of curious
about eating this at lunch.
Yeah.
Definitely think Scott
and Lacey are people
that we could potentially back.
Obviously, we're talking
about funding a restaurant,
but for me,
where we can certainly add
a lot of value
is on the delivery side.
-We'll chat later on.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you so much.
-[Will and Scott] Thanks.
We woke up this morning
with four investors.
We've got two left.
Still feeling good.
But we cannot get complacent.
I still need to make sure
that lunch service
is impeccable.
They need to be impressed,
otherwise, they're
gonna be out.
A quarter of a million
pound lunch.
Businesswoman by day,
chef by night.
This is it. One last
lunch service for Tiger Bites.
One last chance to convince
the investors they are
worth the money.
One last chance
for Scott and Lacey
to change
their fortunes forever.
-Any minute, now, guys.
-All right.
[Fred] Scott and Lacey
only set up Tiger Bites
a year ago.
An offer today
would change everything.
I put the majority
of my life's savings
into Tiger Bites.
I was gonna buy a house,
and I bought
a catering trailer instead.
Happy, happy. Big smiles.
My massive motivation
is to be successful,
not just for myself,
but for my mom and dad.
Because they stuck by me a lot
when I wasn't
the easiest person to stick by.
[Lacey] I don't come
from a family that,
you know,
starts their own businesses.
Its bigger than anything
I've ever done before.
And it will potentially
set me up for life.
[Fred] 2:00 p.m. The restaurant
is open for lunch.
Allez, Tiger Bites.
-[Ana] Welcome
to Tiger Bites. You okay?
-[woman] Yes.
[Fred] Today, 60 customers
are booked in,
and they'll be paying
full price.
I think we are gonna go for
the peanut butter and jelly.
Mmm. Try that.
Going well. Smooth, so far.
We're on top of the operations.
Think I am, anyway. [laughs]
I'm gonna be looking
to see what the customer
feedback is today.
-Hello, sir, do you have
a reservation today?
-Yeah.
[both laugh]
What they think of the food.
What their opinion is
on value for money.
Would they come back?
And finalize my decision
on that basis.
-Hello! How are you?
-I'm very good. Thank you.
Could I try the peanut butter
and jelly bao?
Just do that one for me.
Forget the rest for a minute.
Uh, so, this is
Maurice's order.
It's very important
that I get this right.
Shall I give him a big old bit?
Service!
-[Richard] Are you okay?
-Lovely.
-We have the PBJ.
-Lovely.
-Thank you very much.
-[Richard] Thanks. Enjoy.
Very good. Came quickly,
within nine minutes.
So, that was all good.
Let's eat.
Very crispy.
It's much crispier
than it was last night,
which is a great thing.
Um, it's moreish.
I think delivery is gonna be
a big part of this business.
I'm super excited
to see if this stuff travels.
Hello, Will.
So, what I'm gonna do
is take one bao
in their normal packaging,
ride around, take it out
and see what it looks like
and taste the food
when it comes out
of the backpack.
[Fred] As they are
in competition, both investors
are sitting separately.
Will's here, Maurice's here.
Investment's definitely on.
I can smell it. [sniffs]
It might just be
the bao buns, though.
Hey, Lacey. How you doing?
-Yeah, really good.
-Cool.
I'd like to try
one Kung Fu Panda in your
normal takeaway packaging.
I want to see, like,
if it's all put together,
does that make the bao
a little too moist?
Okay, no problem. To take away?
-To take away.
-Yeah, I'll do it next.
-Awesome, thanks.
-Won't be long.
[Fred] Before they back
any idea,
the investors always
conduct all-important
customer research.
How are you finding the food?
It's really nice. Quite fresh.
-So, how are you finding it?
-Amazing.
This is beautiful.
[Maurice] What do you think
about value for money,
just looking at it
and what you've spent?
Yeah, we just said that.
It's really good.
-Would you come back?
-Yeah, I would.
Thank you very much indeed.
The customers were happy,
and, ultimately, a restaurant
is about happy customers.
Those are the people
who are gonna come back
again and again and again.
And they'll keep you
in business.
-[Fred] Maurice.
-Hello.
[Fred] How do you
like the food?
It was better than last night.
-So, it keeps getting
better and better.
-It does keep getting better.
So, look, I think that now,
-the pressure
is on you, Maurice.
-Yes.
-You have to make a decision.
-I know. I know.
You have to decide
whether you want
to invest or not.
-Yeah.
-So, I'm gonna
give you a deadline.
-Okay.
-You have until
7 o'clock tonight
to come back
and make them an offer.
-Fair enough?
-Fair enough.
-Have a good afternoon,
Maurice.
-See you. Bye-bye.
I can absolutely see myself
working with Scott and Lacey.
In what capacity, I don't know.
That's something I need to go
and really think about.
I've got a few hours,
and I need to spend some time
looking at the numbers again.
Looking and thinking about
what is required to take it
to the next level.
-[Scott] There's your
takeaway, Mr. Shu.
-[Will] Cool, man.
-All right.
-[Scott] Cool.
[Fred] Now, Will wants
to conduct a special trial-run.
All right. Here we go.
[Fred] He needs to know
how the fried chicken bao buns
stand up to
the delivery process.
Usually, the average delivery
is around seven minutes or so.
My fear is that the moisture
might make the bao bun
a bit softer than it should be,
or a little wetter
than it should be.
So, we'll see what happens.
Oh, so, riding through
cobblestones.
Let's see how this...
food ends up.
There's Will.
Let me listen.
[Will] Let's try it out.
It's been about 15 minutes,
and I went over
a lot of cobblestones, too.
But it seemed to have kept
its form decently.
Bao doesn't feel too moist,
feels okay.
Is that okay? It's like, uh...
[Lacey] I've never had it
in a takeaway box
for 10, 20 minutes,
and then opened it
to see what it's like.
So, I hope it is good.
This is a big deal for him.
That traveled much better
than I thought it would.
It's still great.
The chicken was crispy,
the bun wasn't too moist.
I think this works
for delivery and takeaway.
-See you later, Will.
Thanks very much.
-Hey, thanks, man.
-Hopefully, I'll see you
in a couple of hours, yeah?
-[Will] All right, man.
I would say that
I'm much more positive
on the concept
than I was last night.
For sure.
But I have questions around
what's the use of my time?
And also,
the financial investment.
That's what I'm weighing
those two things up against.
Couldn't really have gone
much better, could it?
-I know.
-Well done.
Absolutely smashed it.
Well done for today.
We've done the best we can do.
All right, get back
to work now.
[laughs]
[Fred] Lunch is over.
Now, all Scott and Lacey
can do is wait.
They came here
looking for £575,000.
Will and Maurice now have
a deadline of 7 o'clock
to return with an offer
of investment.
Are you praying
to the Kung Fu Panda?
Pretty much. Pretty much.
[Fred] If they both come back,
Scott and Lacey will have
to choose between
competing investors.
But if no one comes in,
they will leave empty-handed.
[Scott] Keep thinking
I'm seeing things.
People moving behind there.
Then realizing no one's
eight foot tall.
-[Fred] Will.
-[chuckling] Will.
-Yo.
-Hey. How's it going?
-[both chuckle]
-Good.
-Better.
-How are you?
Good. I'm really good.
Your hands are a little sweaty.
Just a little bit.
Right, guys.
It's seven o'clock.
The deadline has passed.
There's a huge amount
of disappointment
in not being able to invest
in people like Scott and Lacey.
The product still needs work.
The customer acceptance
was good,
but fundamentally,
the business model
is not there.
They need a little bit more
building of the foundations
of a business.
It's a real shame
that I've come to
the decision that I have,
but it's based on hard facts.
[Fred] Deadline has passed.
I think that we need
to put them out
of their misery, Will.
So, can we please hear
your vision and your offer
for Tiger Bites?
I love that you guys
improved the product so much.
-Thank you very much.
-Thank you so much.
Now...
I cannot give you
an offer for...
a restaurant.
I don't think either of you
are ready for that quite yet.
I think there's a lot to learn.
However, what I am
prepared to offer you,
and I think
this is super exciting,
is a spot in one of our
delivery-only kitchens.
In this way, you can reach,
immediately, tens of
thousands of customers
on our platform from day one.
My hope is together,
you know, we can help
raise capital for that
bricks and mortar restaurant
down the road.
So, that would be my aspiration
for the both of you,
and I hope you both
can share that.
I think it sounds like
a wonderful opportunity.
I'm really, really happy
to work with you,
-and...
-Yeah.
And to get things done
and to build the brand.
So, are you accepting
his offer?
-One hundred percent.
-Yes, we are.
-That's amazing.
-[Lacey] Amazing!
-I'm gonna get some champagne.
-Happy days!
-Will, thank you very much.
-Let's hug.
-Let's hug.
-That's awesome.
-Thank you so much.
-I'm really excited.
-So are we.
-[Will] This is gonna be big.
That was awesome.
That was, uh, a ton of fun.
I'm super excited
about the concept,
I'm so glad they took my offer.
And we'll see
where it all leads.
I'm excited for the future.
[Lacey] Oh, this is a good day!
-Awesome.
-Yes.
I'm so pleased.
I can't believe that...
Yeah, he can make
our dream a reality.
-Like, the geezer's--
-And he's going to.
The geezer's got the capability
to open every door.
-Shall we have a toast?
-Yes, please.
-Indeed.
-To Tiger Bites.
[all] To Tiger Bites.
-And to Will Shu.
-Scott and Lacey.
Brilliant.
What an amazing ending.
Scott and Lacey came here
looking for a restaurant,
but Will's offer really fits
Tiger Bites like a glove.
That was sick, what you done.
Sick. Absolutely gassed.
[laughter]
How do you actually keep
on top of cost of sales?
I think its just kind of
a waste of time.
Its quite brown to look at,
and sitting in a dark gray bowl
is just a bit gloomy.
That's one of the best dishes
I've had this year.