The Chilli Pickle launches crowdfund to help support its relocation
Made up of three redeveloped former retail sites, the new site is located moments away from where the restaurant started life in 2008 on Meeting House Lane. In 2011 it moved to its current location within MyHotel.
The relocation will see founders Alun and Dawn Sperring regain full ownership of The Chilli Pickle, which is a seven-time winner at The British Curry Awards and has also appeared on Restaurant’s list of the top 100 restaurants in the UK.
The pair are looking to raise capital by asking supporters to purchase gift vouchers for the restaurant in advance.
Larger voucher purchases will have a ‘boost’ attached to them, for example bronze (£100 - £499) will have 20% added to them and gold (£2000 - £9500) will have 30% added to them.
The packages also feature The Chilli Pickle-branded merchandise as well as a variety of in-restaurant perks, such as free drinks and priority bookings.
“We’re so excited for our return to the Lanes, where we first opened in 2008,” says Dawn. “But as everyone knows, moving isn’t cheap. So, we’ve been brainstorming ways to fund the move without lining the pockets of banks.”
“Essentially, we would rather pay interest to our cherished customers! We think we’ve come up with a win-win opportunity which will help us power through the last stage of the move, while also giving back to the diners, who are the people who keep us going.”
The pair revealed that they were looking to move on from MyHotel earlier this year.
At the north end of Meeting House Lane close to the junction with North Street, the new location will be a little smaller than The Chilli Pickle’s current site seating 90-covers in total over two floors.
The Sperrings were early proponents of the new-wave Indian genre, creating an experience that was, in many ways, the antithesis of the bog-standard curry house with a modern-yet-authentic menu that largely eschews obvious Anglo-Indian dishes.
In its new guise, the restaurant will continue to offer a wide-ranging range of regional Indian cuisine.
“The Chilli Pickle isn’t changing. You’ll still have myself and Ram at front of house, and Alun and his team in the kitchen, but The Lanes just feels like the right spot for us,” adds Dawn.
“It’s full of independent businesses like ours, and it’s a chance to reconnect with our roots. We can’t wait to welcome customers, old and new, to our new home.”
