Example — The first site, and what it taught us
Priya Shah
Founder · Dough & Dart
Priya opened her first site in a converted bike shop in Manchester with no investors and one oven that wouldn't hold heat. Two years on, she's turning tables twice a night and still doing the bookings herself.
Starting with nothing
We signed the lease on a Tuesday and ran out of money by Friday. The build-out took twice as long as the contractor promised and cost three times what we'd saved. The one thing I'd never compromise on again: a lease that lets you sublet if it goes wrong.
Learning who your customer actually is
I designed the menu for the people I wanted: food-literate date-nighters. Within a month I realised the people paying the rent were the office crowd at lunch. We rebuilt the daytime around them and let the evening be the smaller, slower thing.
The one hire that changed everything
My first proper sous was the best decision I've made. She didn't cost much more than a KP but she let me stop being in the kitchen every service. You can't grow a site while you're also running the pass.
“You can't grow a site while you're also running the pass.”
“Design the menu for who's paying, not who you wish was paying.”
“The lease is the first dish on the menu — get it right or everything after is harder.”
The question left for the next guest
When did you know it was time to sign a second lease, and what almost stopped you?