About this project
The Jackstarter
£80,359
1,030
Illegal Jack's opened its doors in late 2009, but 5 years later was forced to close after a leak which went unfixed from a twin shower unit above the restaurant caused the ceiling to collapse. The resulting cashflow problems and wasted stock meant that the best future for the business was to liquidate in order to best look after the staff and suppliers, and hope to start over again. In the last few months several banks have been approached, but in the current climate they are not keen to lend to a restaurant which bizarrely they view as a "new business".
(That was the first of many excellent videos courtesy of @JJ_Campbell our Burrito Bandit, starring the Jackaholics at one of our infamous parties!)
While we were open we won a bunch of awards such as The Observer Cheap Eat Award for Scotland as well as UK Runner-up, and the UK Social Buzz Chairman's Award. More importantly though, we had a hardcore army of supporters: the self-styled "Jackaholics" and it is to them and the wider world I am now turning. Have found a great unit on St Patrick Square near Edinburgh University, and having secured a new head lease for the premises the project is underway. Professional designers Cubit 3D have been commissioned to give the place a warmer cosier feel than the old restaurant, and to adapt the business to the challenge of operating in a smaller space. Quite major renovation will be needed from the existing set-up, and a good deal of refridgeration required as well as a new kitchen in order to replicate the standard and speed of service of food we had before. And so am launching this Kickstarter to help get Scotland's original burrito place back open and create 14 new jobs. In return my commitment is to be as generous as I can with food and cool stuff in order to say thank you to our supporters.
And finally a massive thanks to Ian for his time and self-deprecation, and to Dr Phil for writing the script, as well as Ben Glasgow for shooting the video. I laughed and cried as it was being made.
This happened. Took all of 10 minutes to plan! Amazing guys :)
Risks and challenges
Opening a restaurant in the current climate is difficult, expensive and challenging. The good news is I've done it before, and am fortunate enough to have a wonderful customer base. Most independent start-ups don't make it past 3 years, but we've shown it can be done. Furthermore, have spoken to all our former suppliers and they are extremely supportive. Finally, I believe in leading by example and have already committed my own life savings to this project. Should anyone wish further details before getting involved then please don't hesitate to contact me, am happy to discuss.
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Funding period
- (28 days)