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Episode 4

Episode 4 of 4

Nico is ready to take his unique six-course tasting menu into the heart of London’s West End - can anything stop him?

Nico is ready to take his unique six-course tasting menu into the heart of London’s West End. The risk of opening in London is something that seems to spur Nico on, but if he is to succeed, Simi’s innovative marketing must cut through the noise created by London’s 30,000-plus food outlets. The main obstacle, however, could be completely out of Nico’s hands, with the news and worry of Coronavirus increasing as the opening date approaches.

Nico isn’t fazed by talk of London, and he recounts the voices of critics who doubted him at every stage, only to say that he usually proved them wrong. He feels that with his rock-solid commitment to his concept, people will come to him. Seve and Mark have a look at the new site, on London’s highly regarded Charlotte Street, and there is plenty to be done. So much so that Seve wants to push the opening back by six weeks. The delay will cost Nico £500-£600k in turnover, but he feels that the delay is the right choice for the long-term health of the business. The upside to the delay is that Nico can get all of his best people away and on holiday before they start in London. The hard-working team have opened five restaurants over the last 12 months and some relaxation will do them good before they tackle the biggest hurdle yet.

20 year-old David started with Nico as a commis chef 20 months ago and he now has the responsibility of running the Manchester kitchen - but London will be the next test in his meteoric rise.

Nico gives the nod to a James Bond pastiche video costing him three times more than their usual videos, but it pays off with 120,000 views on Facebook alone in just four weeks. However, Simi knows that to really break into London they will have to do much more.

Meanwhile, project manager Mark hits logistical problems at the London site. The ventilation is on the second storey of the office block next door and the electrics are in a different restaurant, all slowing down the work that needs to be done to get the restaurant open.

With four weeks to opening. Nico’s £150k kitchen in Charlotte Street is being installed. It's an unconventional kitchen, as Nico likes to have different pieces of machinery as his menus evolve.

Coronavirus eventually creeps up on Nico, culminating with the announcement that restaurants, cafés and bars must close and causing Nico’s plans take a hit.

28 minutes

Last on

Thu 1 Oct 2020 23:30

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