Entrepreneurs open bistro after securing funding from Reward

TWO entrepreneurs have launched their first UK restaurant in West Yorkshire, after securing a £110,000 business funding deal from Reward Finance Group.

Alexander Jarvis and Clement Cousin have bought the former Little Monk site on Town Street in Horsforth, and opened it as Bavette, a new neighbourhood bistro.

A spokesman said: “Alexander has enjoyed a successful culinary career since leaving college as a trained chef in 2007. His experience includes working as a commis chef at the former Michelin guided Knightsbridge restaurant Racine, and more recently as group managing director and head chef for The Culpeper Family Hospitality Group.

“Clement moved from rural France to London in 2012 and has more than 10 years of front of house experience, including being restaurant manager at The Culpeper Family Hospitality Group where he met Alexander.”

Mr Jarvis, who is a director of Bavette Bistro, said: “Having both worked in the hospitality industry most of our lives, we decided it was time to look into opening our own venture. The bistro is ideally located in the centre of Horsforth’s bar and restaurant scene and will offer a seasonally-led menu of dishes to cater for around 36 covers.”

Alan Sanderson, one of Reward’s underwriters, added: “It’s great to support such a diverse range of SMEs across the region, especially two entrepreneurs who have drawn on their extensive experience in the restaurant industry to launch their first business venture.

"Alexander and Clement have worked for some of London’s finest restaurants and bars and will no doubt thrive in such a high footfall area with a well-established line up of eateries and bars.”

“The deal is a great example of our flexibility and speed of lending and our ability to support a new business in the hospitality sector – something that mainstream lenders aren’t doing as frequently at the moment. We look forward to following the success of Bavette Bistro as it no doubt goes from strength to strength.”

Reward Finance Group provides tailored asset-backed short to medium term lending of up to £5m to property investors and SMEs across England, Wales and Scotland. Established in 2011, Reward employs 70 staff operating from offices in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, London, Dunfermline and Cardiff.