Desi Fusion The Restaurant Man

The only thing that stands between success and failure,

at the moment, is chance.

'Many of us fantasise about opening

'our own restaurant, but with restaurants up to three times more

'likely to fail than any other business,

'it's not for the faint-hearted.'

Opening a restaurant just to make money is wrong,

but it's very important that it does make money.

'I'm Russell Norman.

'After years of dreaming, I set up a series of

'acclaimed restaurants

'that now serve half a million customers a year,

'in the cut-throat London market.'

I'd definitely say that there are rules

to opening and running a successful restaurant.

You must know your numbers. You must do your research.

You must be prepared to work very long hours.

'Now I'm helping six first-timers, gambling their life savings

'to start their own restaurants.'

I've got no food and I'm opening in less than 48 hours.

It is work in progress,

but it needs to be work that isn't in progress quite soon.

'From floor plans to finance and menus to marketing,

'I'll have to shatter a few illusions.'

I mean, this is cute, but very impractical.

I'm going to have to show it to him. It's almost inedible.

What's the solution, Russell? Tell me. You get another plumber?

That's exactly what you do.

'Each of these plucky entrepreneurs

'is hoping their new venture will give them a better life.'

This is all mine and isn't it gorgeous?

Thank you.

'But unless they get every detail spot-on,

'it could mean bankruptcy and personal disaster.'

I'm scared now. Yeah, I'm very scared.

'This time, I'm helping first-timer Nahida, who has a grand vision.'

I'd like for my customers to feel it's a family atmosphere

and there's a sense of belonging.

'But with no business sense...'

The plan? There is no plan.

If there was a plan, I wouldn't be in this mess.

'..panic sets in.'

-Who's running the show today?

-No-one.

No-one's running the show.

We open in 36 minutes and Nahida is nowhere to be found.

'It's not just her own money she's putting on the line,

'but her family's too.'

I feel like I've let everybody down.

Curry. It's Britain's favourite food.

There are over 10,000 Indian restaurants across the UK.

We eat an amazing 1.4 million curries every week.

Most trips to an Indian restaurant are predictably familiar -

a chicken tikka masala for her, vindaloo and a pint for him.

But there's far more to Indian cooking than this standard format.

I'm on my way to Coventry to meet a woman

who proudly prepares her own authentic family recipes.

This is how I'm used to cooking - with a child, picking up a child.

Born in Pakistan, Nahida moved to Coventry when she was six

and has lived there ever since.

With her husband Khalid, a taxi driver,

she has ten grown-up children and eight grandchildren.

She regularly finds herself cooking

for over 30 members of her extended family.

When we eat like this,

we have to do two sittings cos there's not enough for one sitting.

This lot will eat first then the rest of us will sit second time round.

Then these guys can serve us then.

As a social worker and mum,

Nahida has spent her life looking after other people.

Now she's doing something for herself,

and has leased this property in the city centre

to follow her lifelong dream.

I've always wanted a business.

I've always wanted to work for myself.

My colleagues have always said, "Your food is great."

They used to say, "Why don't you sell food to us and we'll buy it off you?"

I'd say, "No, no. If you want anything,

"just tell me and I'll bring it in."

It means everything to me to make a go of this.

I've come out to make a statement, to make a better place for people.

I'd be letting myself down if I didn't achieve that.

Yeah. I'd be gutted.

Over 15% of Coventry's population is of Asian origin,

so there should be a large market,

but there's also a lot of competition - 50 other curry houses.

Thank you.

-Nahida.

-Hello.

-I'm Russell.

-Hello.

-Hello. How are you? Thank you very much.

-I'm good, thank you. Come in.

-Thank you. Hello.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your home.

You're quite welcome.

-It's a full garden.

-These are my daughters.

-Hello.

My oldest three.

Wow, I wasn't expecting food. Thank you. That's great.

I've been up since eight o'clock this morning,

but particularly these dishes, I've made myself

-because I didn't want any mistakes.

-Yeah.

Cos I was quite nervous meeting you this morning.

Oh, you shouldn't be.

'Nahida has prepared chickpea curry,

'mango pickle and halva. This is a traditional Pakistani breakfast

'for rural labourers, and is eaten with a heavy paratha.

'It's this home-cooked food that Nahida hopes

'will make her restaurant stand out from the crowd.'

-People used to eat these very early in the morning...

-Right.

..with the chickpea curry or even with the halva...

-Cos that'd set you up for the day.

-It would set them up for the day.

'The food is delicious, if a little bit spicy.'

I think I can cope with that.

Is that OK? I tried to keep it a little bit mild.

That's mild, is it(?) It's good. It's good. I like heat.

-Do you eat spicy food?

-I do.

-Maybe not this spicy!

-No, that's good.

That's lovely. That's really sweet too.

Is that all right? It is very sweet.

'Nahida wants her restaurant to feel like a family business

'and she's hoping some of her children will help her run it.'

You see a lot of restaurants out there that say home-cooked food.

But I don't think it's really home-cooked food.

I think they've taken it from a recipe book.

But recipes my mum uses, she's been using for years.

I think she'll be very successful

because, like, her cooking is good, she's a good people person

and she makes friends everywhere she goes.

So people who come into the restaurant, they're going to love her.

Nahida, there's a great feeling of being very welcome

as I sit here in your garden, surrounded by these delicious

-dishes...

-Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way.

..and also your family.

-Is that something you want to take to the restaurant?

-I do.

I'd like my customers to feel that it's a family atmosphere and there's a sense of belonging.

My family is my biggest critic.

-OK.

-You know.

-Good.

If they like the food then it's nice.

You know, because my family don't mess around.

They'll tell me the truth.

Nahida, it sounds great.

'Nahida's planning on opening for business in eight weeks' time.

'I can't wait to hear her vision for the restaurant.'

This is it, here, this is Desi Fusion.

This is it, yes.

-What a lovely shop front.

-Thank you.

-And a really nice position, I think.

-I think so, yes.

-It's overlooking the green.

-Lots of people walking past.

-Shall we have a look inside?

-Yeah, come in.

-Thank you.

Help me out with this room then to start with. What will I see?

What will we see as customers when we come in

in a couple of months' time when the restaurant is up and running?

The layout, I haven't quite worked out,

but it'll be mainly tables and chairs.

-My colour scheme here is black, white and red.

-Wow.

Because they're very neutral colours, if you like.

-I think they're very neutral colours.

-Black, white and red?

-They're very good on the eye.

-I wouldn't describe it as neutral.

-No?

-Not really, no. They're very strong, graphic colours.

That wall is to be black.

And then the other walls are to be white. The pillar will be red.

Then we will decorate the walls with either pictures or stencilling

to do with black and red.

Right. What I would suggest that you do is that you find somebody

-that's useful with a pencil, and...

-And draw it.

Yeah, ask them to sketch it out.

And then, on the drawing, paint your back wall black, and then you'll have

a much better idea as to whether it's going to work or not.

We go this way. The kitchens are down here.

'It's a huge space.

'There must be room for 150 diners in here.

'That doesn't come cheap. Nahida's already signed a lease costing over

'£1,300 a month. It's very ambitious.'

Is there anything else or is this it?

-Is this the end of the building?

-This is the end of the building.

Thank goodness for that, I thought it'd never end!

-I bet you're tired now.

-It's huge!

It's seriously very big.

Really, you could build a restaurant in half the size,

-in half the space that we've seen today.

-Yeah.

'I've tasted some of her great home-cooked food,

'but what else will be on the menu?'

-Can I take it out?

-Yeah, it's work in progress.

OK.

Looking down here, I'm really surprised to see shepherd's pie.

-Yes. Yes.

-Breakfast?

-Yeah.

-Sausage, eggs, bacon, etc?

-No bacon.

-No bacon. Halal, of course.

-And you've also got all of your sandwiches and toasties.

-Yeah.

You've got omelettes here. You've got jacket potatoes, kids' meals.

'With over 40 savoury dishes, this is a confused menu.

'I'm worried that Nahida's unique home cooking could get lost

'in a hotchpotch of standard cafe fare.'

You see, in my experience, customers like things to be

-easy to understand and simple.

-Yeah.

And looking at this menu, as a customer,

I would be slightly confused.

What you do really, really well

is what you should be pushing to the forefront here.

-And that's... What...

-And what you do really well is

that fantastic family-style cooking, for people that want to enjoy that

-wonderful food in a family-style environment.

-Yeah.

You shouldn't worry about whether or not...

But you forget, these foods on here are foods that my family eat.

But what you're proposing is crazy. You could go on and on.

You could say, "Sometimes my kids like a packet of crisps,

"so we're going to have a crisp selection here.

-"Sometimes..."

-Why shouldn't we?

-Well, because where does it stop?

It doesn't. That's what the beauty of food is.

Well, it does in a commercial sense.

You can be experimenting forever, can't you?

-In a business sense, it has to stop.

-I get what you're saying.

I get what you're saying.

It's quite a common approach, I think,

for inexperienced restaurateurs to think that they need to offer

as many dishes as possible to satisfy as many tastes as possible

when, in fact, what they need to do, usually, is the exact opposite.

'Nahida is a classic case of

'a great home cook who wants to open a restaurant.

'Her only finance is a £20,000 bank loan.

'And half of that is earmarked to pay for the kitchen.'

Nahida, did you sit down before this project started and work out exactly

how much everything was going to cost and how much you would need or

was it just a sort of lick the finger and stick it in the air

-sort of thing?

-Yeah, basically.

-Then how do you know you've got enough?

-I don't.

-Does it not terrify you...

-It does. It does.

-..that you might run out of money?

-Mm. It does.

I don't know if you know this, but more restaurant businesses fail

before they get a chance to even open the front door

than those that fail for other reasons.

Most restaurants that fail, in fact,

are invisible, because you never see them.

They never get to a point where they open and start serving customers.

I just don't want your restaurant to be one of those.

But what you're telling me is that there's a...

you know, that there's quite a high risk that it might be.

'It's already clear that Nahida's talent as a cook

'isn't backed up with much business savvy,

'and as she plans to open in two months,

'it doesn't give me much time to help.

'But I hope I can persuade her to do things like

'change her decor and get her to focus on the food she made for me.'

Her basic offer, in the sense of what I saw at her home,

you know, I think it's a good offer.

I'd like to work with her on trying to streamline the menu and trying

to get rid of those elements that she doesn't need

but thinks that she does.

But my big worry is that we won't even get that far.

My big worry is that she will run out of money,

and if she runs out of money, she won't even get to the point

where she can open the door and greet her first customer.

But before I can even start, redecoration begins.

Just a few days after my visit, Nahida and daughter Symha

forge ahead with their own colour scheme.

The restaurant gets painted in a rather bold fashion.

Russell has an opinion and I have an opinion.

Russell has a way of doing things and I have a way of doing things.

But, at the end of the day, the risk and the chance is my own.

Russell is advising me. He's not going to open my business for me.

We will always talk and I will listen to him,

but the decision will always be mine.

It seems I'm going to have my work cut out

persuading Nahida to listen to me.

When I devise a menu for my restaurants I work very hard with my chef

to create one that is focused and simple and concise

because I really believe that that's what people like.

What they don't like is menus

that are very long and rambling and confused.

I think Nahida's existing menu will put customers off

and jeopardise her business.

So, back in Coventry,

I'm organising a one-off pop-up restaurant for lunchtime.

I want to show Nahida that people prefer simplicity over confusion.

On the one hand, we have Nahida's very simple menu with two dishes,

and over here, the menu of the restaurant,

which has many, many more choices.

I want to see today whether people are interested in lots of choice or

whether they're more interested in a simple, focused menu.

Nahida's preparing two of her home-style Pakistani dishes -

a chicken biryani and a vegetable curry.

She's decided to make the biryani first.

I want this to be right because

I think this will be the more popular dish, if you know what I mean so...

yeah, I want to focus on this one.

But things don't get off to a great start.

Nahida has arrived an hour late, and her helpers,

twin daughters Adiba and Amirah, need constant supervision.

You peel them for me. Chop... Get the skin off them.

And I need onions, really. I need it really quick now.

There is a distinct lack of preparation.

John, would you have a couple of kilos of frozen peas?

-Yes.

-I've left mine in the freezer at home.

-No worries.

Head chef John is anxious about keeping customers waiting.

I'd like to think they'd be ready to go soon because

it's now getting a bit on.

And this is this lady's reputation that she needs to try and uphold.

It's only three dishes. We should be there by now.

'The lunchtime service is due to start at midday.

'With 15 minutes to go,

'I head into the kitchen to check on progress.'

-Hi, Nahida.

-Hello, Russell.

-So I can see the biryani. Where's the veg curry?

-It's just over there.

So it's just onions at the moment?

It's just onions and garlic and red...green chillies, sorry.

Nahida, I'm not an expert,

but I couldn't make a vegetable curry in 15 minutes.

We open in 15 minutes. Do you know that?

Yeah. Well, no, I'm not going to get it ready in 15 minutes.

We were an hour behind cos I had to collect everything and bring it here.

-And then I was just...

-We're an hour behind?

Yes, we are an hour behind. Yes.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

The lunch rush starts on cue, but there's no curry.

I've started now, so... Oh, sorry!

Nahida is struggling to finish her first dish.

I'm really sorry but our curries today aren't quite ready yet

-so it's just from the normal menu to choose from.

-OK.

This is so frustrating. It's 12:15 and the restaurant is open,

people are sitting down, there's a crowd in the bar waiting

and Nahida's not ready.

I watched three people come in,

ask about Nahida's menu and walk away.

At home, her family might not mind waiting for their food,

but in a restaurant, lunchtime customers are usually in a hurry.

How are we doing, ladies?

-Um... Not very well.

-Why?

Butter got too melted. My dough's gone all flaky.

Right, can we try and start doing some now?

Can your daughter do them and then you start cooking these?

-Would that be all right?

-I need to put the butter on myself.

-Cos she might not put enough on.

-All right, show her quickly.

It's not until 1:15, an hour and a quarter late,

that I hear she's ready for business and I can spring into action.

-We've got an experiment here today.

-Yes.

-We wanted to see what people would go for.

I would definitely go for menu two.

As I suspected, Nahida's short and focused menu proves popular.

I'm thinking the curry. Just there.

Not too much choice.

And the feedback is great.

-They said the chicken biryani was very nice.

-Thank you.

Got two chicken biryanis on...

But the meals are coming out of the kitchen far too slowly.

Come on, ladies, you've got to respond to that.

Don't make me panic!

Don't make me nervous.

You like menu two because it's simple

and you saw a dish you wanted straightaway.

Simple, not too many choices to confuse.

So far there's a clear preference for the simpler menu.

Come on, ladies. Don't fail on me now.

-I would definitely go for that one.

-Definitely?

-It's simple and easy.

I'm in a hurry.

'But with the lunch rush over by 1:30,

'the experiment's finished before it's really begun.'

Well, that was frustratingly inconclusive,

but what the exercise did prove to me

is that Nahida is in no way prepared

for the demands of a commercial kitchen. And that's a big worry.

-Hi, Nahida.

-Hello, Russell.

How's it going?

We've sent a few dishes out.

Yeah.

-The plates have come back clean.

-Yes, they have.

-So, that's positive.

-Yeah.

But did you hear about the customers that came in before 1:00?

There were quite a few people that had heard about the pop-up

and were very interested to try the food and came along -

-but we weren't ready.

-Right.

-So, we lost a few customers.

That's a shame.

In the real world, you know that can't happen, don't you?

-Well, in the real world I'd be a bit more organised!

-Yeah.

In the real world customers don't make allowances for inexperience.

A successful restaurant doesn't happen by chance.

It's based on precise, detailed planning.

People who say, "I don't need a business plan"

are taking a massive, massive gamble.

It's like betting on a 200-1 outsider.

You could win, but you could lose all your money.

It's a very risky strategy.

With no clear plan to get her restaurant open in time,

Nahida is falling behind.

I'm up at 6:30, I go to work.

I finish 5:00, 5:30, I come here.

I'm just so tired and stressed.

The more time goes on, the more tired I get,

the more stressed I get.

She's still working full-time as a social worker,

so the fit-out is painfully slow.

And I'm still concerned about the decor.

With its hard surfaces and harsh colours,

this is starting to feel more like a run-of-the-mill caff

than the homely eatery Nahida wanted.

'I think success hangs onto her reconnecting

'with her original vision.

'So I've invited Nahida to London for an inspirational trip.'

We're here today at James Ramsden's supper club.

It's called The Secret Larder.

What he does is he serves up restaurant-quality food

in a very casual, family-style home environment,

and I want Nahida to see how it might be possible

to reconnect with her original idea

and do that in Coventry at Desi Fusion.

Four years ago, James launched The Secret Larder in his flat,

a charming converted school room,

brim full with the bric-a-brac of daily life.

Nahida's daughters Symha and Nasma have come along

to help prepare the food and soak up the homely atmosphere.

I love it, I think it's amazing.

If I didn't live so far away,

I would be asking James to invite me along again!

The decor is really nice.

I've asked him where he gets his bottles from.

Just even like how to set the table.

I like the little candles.

They would look nice in the restaurant,

especially in the evening, because we're open till quite late.

I think that would give it a homely feeling, the lighting and stuff.

-How are you doing? James.

-Very well, thank you. Sarah.

As James opens his doors...

Welcome, come in.

..it's not long before the guest of honour arrives.

Oh, wow!

James, this is Nahida.

Hello!

-Hi, Nahida. I'm James.

-Hello.

Do you need some explanation, here?

-Shall I tell you what's going on?

-I do, yes.

A supper club is something that's halfway between

a private dinner party and a restaurant.

So, these people are paying guests.

What it does is it provides restaurant-quality food

in a very homely, family-style environment.

And I thought that reminded me of something.

What do you think it reminded me of?

-Something that I wanted to do.

-Exactly what you wanted to do.

Thanks for letting us in.

Supper clubs have become very fashionable.

They originated in Cuba,

as a way of avoiding state control of restaurants.

In the UK, they're still fairly novel,

with fewer than 100 regular venues across the country.

It's different.

Very different.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in Coventry.

Yeah, we'll see how it works.

You know?

Well, bon appetit, everybody.

I think this is nice.

I mean, you know, I was actually thinking,

if I'd have come and done this beforehand,

I might have just opened up my house to people, you know?

I probably wouldn't need such a big cash outlay,

because my kitchen's equipped.

I want people to come in, like you guys come in here today,

and be able to talk to each other,

not just come in and just sit at their table,

have their meal, pay their bill and go.

I think it's really nice that people meet each other.

What do we all think or feel about communal tables?

-I love it.

-Do you?

When you go to a restaurant you don't want to disturb people

-on another table, because you don't know what their agenda is.

-Yeah.

And that's kind of invading their space.

Whereas if someone chooses to sit at a social table,

you have the freedom to open up that dialogue and start talking.

-I think that's really cool.

-Mm.

Nahida seems to be soaking up the atmosphere here at James's.

I'm hoping it's making her think twice about the ambience and decor

in her own restaurant.

So, just looking round the room, Nahida,

there's a real homely feel here, isn't there?

I could actually get stuck in and tidy up a little bit.

-Yeah...

-But that's me.

But in terms of the rest of the room,

you've got the sofa in the corner over there

and books and lamps and there's plants and dried flowers in vases.

It's nice for everything not to be in a sequence, things to be different.

They don't all have to be the same.

If you remember, I did say I wanted to get some sofas in there

and a small coffee table in there.

I even said to Simon, if we could invest in some lamps...

I think that will do a couple of things,

it will create a much more attractive space

within the restaurant...

It will also, I think, create a very attractive look of the restaurant,

-if you're outside on the street.

-That's right.

You're seeing something that's really warm and welcoming.

-It would be lovely if we could do it. It would be great.

-Good.

Back in Coventry, inspiration from the supper club quickly evaporates

when Nahida's financial issues come to a head.

She has spent all the initial £20,000

that she borrowed from the bank

on her rent, renovations and kitchen equipment.

So it's a real body blow

when Nahida discovers that the existing gas supply

won't service a professional kitchen.

This is the bane of my life, and it's just dragging me down at the moment.

Right down.

It'll cost thousands of pounds to upgrade,

money Nahida simply doesn't have.

I've not been able to sleep, very stressed.

With three weeks to go now before the planned opening,

I'm really concerned.

So I've come back to Coventry to see how I can help.

-There's lots still to do, isn't there?

-Yeah.

Have you got the money to pay for what needs doing?

Yeah...

I haven't.

-You haven't got the money?

-No.

Have you budgeted, then, for what needs to be done?

Do you know how much money you need to spend?

-Further?

-Yes.

I'm going to need roughly another £5,000 to £7,000.

-My gosh.

-Yeah.

If you had your time again,

and you were to go back to the beginning of this project,

would you do things differently?

First of all, I can't go back.

If you could.

If I know what I know now, and I could go back...

I might not start the project at all.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Do you feel, then, that because you've come this far,

you can't stop and you can't go back,

-do you feel you've reached the point of no return?

-Definitely.

-You do.

-Yeah, yeah. Definitely.

I've acted on impulse and dived right in at the deep end.

For me now, it's sink or swim.

But like I said, we've put too much work into this place now

to not give it a go, and to just pack it up now.

I'm really worried.

Yeah.

'Nahida's paying the price for having no business plan.

'The longer the build drifts on, the more money she stands to lose.

'Given the dire situation,

'I've called an emergency family meeting.

'I need all her family onside if we are to get Desi Fusion open

'and start bringing in some money.

'If Nahida won't listen to ME,

'I'm hoping she might listen to her children.'

Does Mum discuss money with you? Does she tell you about how much things are costing?

It's not like we've sat down and had a whole conversation about it.

-She doesn't like to burden us.

-No, she doesn't.

She just likes to get on with it.

Is she the sort of person that would ask for help?

Only when she's really struggling. Mum's got a strong head.

So when it comes to taking up projects

she likes to do it herself rather than having other people.

We could call her any hour of the night, morning, day -

if she's at work, wherever she is,

she'll drop what she's doing and come and help us.

-But if she needs help and she asks us, she'll feel bad.

-Yes.

The situation is this - there is no more money left.

But there is lots of work that still needs to be done to the restaurant.

What I'm trying to stress to you

is that it is absolutely essential that Desi Fusion opens,

so that there is a revenue stream,

so that, for example, Nahida can afford the rent payment that is due

in just a couple of weeks' time.

And that's why I'm here today, with you lot,

to see whether you have anything you can offer to the project

to help Nahida get the business open as fast as possible.

-I think the time has come to sit down with Mum...

-Yeah.

..and give her a pen in one hand and a piece of paper in the other

and say, "We're not leaving this room

"until you make a list of the things that still need doing."

It's really important that you get involved and that you engage

-and that you help Mum open this restaurant.

-Yeah, OK.

-All right?

Over the coming days, Nahida's family get stuck in.

-Is it scraping?

-OK, put it down...

Do it slowly.

And soon, the place is starting to look more like a restaurant.

'But I want Nahida's children to do more than just DIY and cleaning.

'If this is going to feel like a family business,

'they need to help their mum run it.

'Even though she has no restaurant experience,

'I think 29-year-old Symha, currently a full-time mum,

'could run the front of house.

'So I'm going to test her out at a local cafe.'

-Feeling confident, Symha?

-Nervous.

-Uh-huh. OK.

-I like talking to people, so I should be OK.

-OK.

Two small lattes.

Is that a classic or generous?

-Classic.

-Classic.

That's £2.10, please.

'Front of house is a crucial role -

'get it wrong and service grinds to a halt.'

There's a lot going on here.

The ordering and putting the saucers on the tray and taking the money,

giving the change, giving the table number, there's a lot to remember.

-Hi. What would you like?

-Tea and toast, please.

What's really impressive is how animated she is

and how responsive she is to customers.

That is 2.60 change. Thank you.

Really encouraging.

So, that's £2.40.

Thank you.

It's given me ideas on how we can run the restaurant a bit smoother.

-Good.

-The fact you said I did quite well, I'm happy with that.

Even though I was panicking inside, it didn't show on the outside.

I'm quite friendly with people, I talk a lot...

-You were very friendly today.

-Yeah, was I?

-We all noticed it.

-OK!

-Absolutely.

Having borrowed another £15,000 from her family,

Nahida installs a new gas supply,

buys the remaining equipment...

It's really heavy!

..and before long, there's a working kitchen.

Oh, that feels good.

We need to get the word out about the restaurant as soon as possible.

So I've asked Nahida to prepare some free samples.

That's fantastic.

This is a big moment, do you realise this?

This is the first dish to come out of your kitchen.

You know what? I've had pakoras all my life,

but this one just holds a higher status in my life.

Because of the significance of it?

Because of all the hard work we've put here.

-Clean plate.

-Ah, there you go!

That's what I want to see.

'When it comes to sparking customer interest,

'nothing can replace direct, personal contact - and a free sample.'

We'll do a little production line here.

So I take Nahida's daughters out to the town centre to start building

that all-important customer base.

We're opening a new restaurant called Desi Fusion

on Warwick Row, near Sherbourne House.

You've got some pakoras in there and some chaat.

They're both a little nervous, naturally.

It's quite daunting, I imagine,

to stand in the middle of your town centre.

But they're going for it.

-If you just want to...

-Halal?

-It is Halal, yes.

Bless you!

-Mm!

-That's very nice.

-It is, yeah!

It's really nice.

I will give you guys a leaflet.

Definitely stop by, hopefully we'll see you there.

-Free meal?

-I don't know about a free meal,

-but you're always welcome to come and try our food.

-OK, then.

-Very nice.

-Yeah?

-Thank you.

-Compliments to the chef.

-Cheers.

Finally, we have progress.

Nahida is in the kitchen cooking,

Symha is taking charge of front of house operations,

Nasma's getting a handle on marketing.

For the first time,

I feel this project is moving in the right direction.

I think it's heading to opening now.

I think we're getting closer to that open door.

You know? And I just can't wait.

Nahida's next decision will define her restaurant.

Keeping her full-time job, she's hired a chef,

who she hopes can recreate her home-cooked food.

This is my first time in a restaurant,

so excuse me if I say something wrong or if I don't know what I'm asking.

-I can make any cuisine, anything you want.

-OK.

-That's not a problem.

-OK.

Seven hours a day, six days a week.

Mr Nawaz has over 20 years' experience in the trade

and strong views about how things should be done.

There's loads of things what's missing, you know what I mean?

-Being frank with you...

-That's another thing...

The flat freezers and everything,

-they put the meat, chicken, prawns...

-That's another thing,

I'm still looking for the fridge and the tables and the chairs -

-as you noticed, they've still got to come.

-Yeah.

You've done another mistake -

your kitchen should have been in the other room

and the other room should have been this side.

Yeah. Thanks.

Given her inexperience, I'm worried Nahida's dishes may get overlooked

in favour of the standard curry house fare

Mr Nawaz is used to cooking.

I'm doing the gravy now, the sauce and everything,

the proper way, how a proper restaurant does it.

And I will show them the lot.

At the end of the day, it's my bread and butter

and it's their bread and butter.

That's how I look at it.

He's confident. He knows what he's doing.

I think being in the position that I am...

I'm going to have to give him the chance to prove himself.

The closer Nahida gets to opening day,

the more disorganised she becomes.

The plan? There is no plan.

If there was a plan, I wouldn't be in this mess.

With just 24 hours to go, the building work is incomplete.

And Nahida is still hunting for furnishings.

Which ones are your cheapest?

These, here.

They're not very nice, are they?

There is a lot to do, not enough time, not enough hours.

A huge amount is now at stake.

Nahida's borrowing from her family has mounted steadily to £22,000 -

which is on top of the initial £20,000

that she borrowed from the bank.

On top of that, she has running costs -

staff wages, stock, utilities and that huge rent.

I kind of get really nervous and...

happy, excited, but really scared as well.

Lots to do in the morning. Um...

To break even, let alone repay her debts,

she needs to bring in £500 a day.

In her words, 100 people walking through the door spending £5 each.

Tomorrow, she has to start making money.

I am scared.

Scared shitless.

9:00am, Monday morning.

It's opening day.

I'm very nervous about today, I've got to be honest.

The fact we're here, on opening day, is remarkable.

There's no question that this is a huge achievement.

But it's been troubling me for quite some time

that even if Nahida gets to opening day,

there's still so much about the business

that she's chosen to ignore.

I just really don't know which way it's going to go.

'The signs aren't great.

'Nahida is late, so I'm left waiting outside.'

I've been here for over an hour.

It's opening day.

There's still nobody here.

It's an hour and 20 minutes before they open to the public

and there's nobody on the premises.

This is the first day of business!

I would have been here at 6:00am with all my staff

if this were my restaurant.

It's inconceivable to me that Nahida and her team aren't here.

It really upsets me.

At last, there's some movement at the service entrance at the back.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-Are you well?

-I'm well, thank you. How are you?

-Are you stressed?

-Tired.

You're opening in an hour's time.

Yes.

Can I help with anything?

It turns out Nahida is late

because she was shopping for today's food supplies.

Not surprisingly, with everything so last minute,

it's chaos.

Nahida, more potatoes.

Oh, that bag can stay in the car.

What about these?

Thank you. Yes, these need to go...

'There is so much still to organise and absolutely no direction.

'Nahida needs to take charge.

'But she's in a panic.'

Nahida?

Yes?

-Who's running the show today?

-No-one.

-No-one's running the show.

-Everybody.

Everybody's running the show.

-We open in 50 minutes time.

-Yeah.

I want to keep reminding you that it's quite close -

who, effectively, is going to be the manager of the restaurant today?

If there's a problem, who do I go to?

-I guess that's me.

-It is you?

-It's me.

-OK. All right.

Nope.

'But just when I think I've got through to her, she vanishes.'

Nahida?

Where did Nahida go?

I can't find her.

We open in 36 minutes and Nahida is nowhere to be found.

We're looking for Nahida.

She's gone to the shop.

She's gone to the shop?

This is astonishing.

'But things get worse.

'In the rush to get the restaurant open,

'Nahida's building work hasn't yet been signed off by the council.

'And now the building control officer has just arrived.'

The building regs guy needs to sign the restaurant off

in order to open for business.

She's disappeared, the restaurant opens in 22 minutes.

And without his signature she can't open.

'This is a potential disaster.

'Nahida's lack of experience is really showing.'

You're not stressed, are you?

No.

Nahida?

You're there!

The, um... Where were you?!

We found her.

Sorry about the wait.

Do you want to go round to the front, shall we start there?

-Yeah, we'll start at the front.

-Yeah? Give me your verdict.

The inspector has a list of 15 items to check

before he'll let Nahida open her doors.

-It's not coming in until after 12.

-OK.

-So, as soon as it's in,

I'll get it put on.

-Your call bell system's in place, as well.

-Yeah.

Yeah, that's fine.

Seven minutes to opening.

The wait is agonising.

Yeah, fine.

'But at last...'

Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you!

'..there's good news.'

He's given you permission to open?

Yeah, he has.

And you are open.

'It's been a three-month slog.'

OK, everybody quiet, please.

'But Nahida's dream is finally coming true.'

Desi Fusion is now open for business.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

OK, everybody come in.

-Congratulations, Nahida.

-Thank you.

-You've opened your restaurant!

-Thank you.

It's great.

Are you feeling proud?

I am. I'm feeling very proud.

I've thought of this for a long time.

It's a big thing, isn't it?

-It's a big thing, my first time.

-Huge thing.

-I think you've done amazingly well, Nahida.

-Thank you.

This is an astonishing achievement.

I don't know, I don't seem to think that I've done that well...

I've got to be honest, there were times where I thought,

-"Is she going to do it?"

-Yeah.

"Will we get to a point where we're looking at a restaurant

"that's open to the public?" And I've had my doubts.

But you've sort of proved me wrong, because you're open.

You've got a restaurant, and it's yours,

and it's because of you that it's open.

It is. It's open.

'Against the odds, Nahida and her children have created

'an orderly and functional dining room.

'They've added a homely corner at the back.

'I would like to have seen some more influences from the supper club -

'communal tables, plants, rugs, pictures

'would all have softened the look.

'But the menu really disappoints me.'

This is a standard high street Indian restaurant menu.

It's not the menu that Nahida described to me.

It's not the menu that we've looked at together.

It doesn't say Desi Fusion to me.

I would imagine that Nahida has ended up with this menu

because a competent chef has been hired

and has said, "This is what I do."

And Nahida has thought, "Well, if this guy is competent

"and he knows what he's doing, let him do it."

At the end of the day, the dishes are the same, mate.

So they're the same dishes, no matter which restaurant you go to?

-Whichever you go to.

-Yeah.

And the menu you've put together for Nahida, is that the same?

Thank you.

-The usual suspects, the classics, is that right?

-Yes, mate.

-Yep.

-Yep.

'I had expected this kitchen

'to be producing Nahida's unique, home-style chickpea curry.

'Instead Mr Nawaz is turning out high street staples.'

You've got chicken tikka masala, fried rice and a chicken pakora.

'This is a tried and tested method, preparing a huge pot of curry gravy,

'which is used for the base of every curry they make.

'It keeps costs down, whilst still having a varied menu.

'But it risks making them indistinguishable

'from any of the other 50 curry houses in Coventry.

'Nahida has thrown away everything that made her restaurant

'different and special.'

It's coming up to 1:00, which is usually the busiest time for lunch service.

And...they've done OK so far.

Six customers, I think, I've counted.

It's very early in the day

to start saying, "Oh, my goodness, things aren't working."

But six covers in two hours is quite light.

'But as it gets later, my concern grows.'

The numbers have been very low today.

Probably around a dozen before 6:00,

and maybe another six or seven in the restaurant behind me now

and that's very worrying indeed.

A business like a restaurant needs bums on seats.

I haven't seen evidence of that yet.

I need to see this restaurant much, much busier,

and Nahida needs to see it busier,

because she hasn't really got that much time to play with.

'Trade doesn't pick up much.

'And Nahida needs to turn over £500 a day

'just to break even.'

So, our takings are 230 for today.

£230.

Cashing up, then I'm going to go home.

200...

I'm disappointed.

I really am.

I had hoped for 500.

At least. That was my minimum.

But...it didn't happen.

And things don't get better.

Day two - £170.

Day three - £85.

Day four - £40.

Starting a restaurant is costly,

but the daily running is a relentless drain

on funds, stock, rent, utilities.

Every day, the money you take has to cover these costs.

OK...

Nahida is simply not taking enough.

At the end of the first week,

I estimate that she has lost at least £1,500.

And that's on top of the £42,000 she already owes.

I'm scared now. Yeah.

I'm very scared.

What if we don't do very well?

How am I going to pay for all this now?

It's two weeks after opening day when I return to Desi Fusion.

I've really thought about how I can help Nahida.

This restaurant is surrounded by offices.

I want to tap into that lunchtime market,

and I've got a plan that I'm hoping will work.

It's really clear to me that Nahida's lost her way.

It's really obvious that this is a business that's in trouble.

But I'd like to help Nahida,

and I'd like to suggest to Nahida that we try something

that might get some customers in today,

and I'd like to suggest something that gets us back, I think,

to Nahida's original vision.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thank you. How are you?

Very well, thank you.

'In an effort to drum up business,

'we're going to offer a lunchtime buffet,

'including some of Nahida's home-cooked recipes.

'With eight different dishes on offer

'and an-all-you-can-eat price of just £3.99,

'I'm really hoping to pull in the office workers

'and university students.'

So, lunchtime, you're short of time,

and a buffet is perfect, because the food is right there.

It's already there.

It's nice and hot, ready to go.

Can you be in and out, if you wanted to, in ten minutes?

Yeah, cos we're not just doing it that you have to eat in,

we're doing takeaway boxes as well.

'But nothing will happen unless we get the word out.

'Symha had promised me a whole crowd of family members

'to help me deliver leaflets.

'Now that it's crunch time, however, no-one's available.'

We need to spread the word.

Yeah. But because of the price, I think a lot of people will come,

-once they know...

-You think they'll come in?

-But how will they know about it?

-Yeah, I know.

We do need to get out there.

Russell wants someone to go with him to the university

to hand out leaflets for the buffet.

That's fine, you come when you can.

Symha, who are you calling now?

I'm just ringing my brother, to see how long he's going to be.

-OK.

-And then he can go with you. He won't say no. He'll go with you.

It's just getting him here.

He might be driving, because he didn't pick up.

This is incredibly frustrating.

I just need somebody to come with me,

anybody to come with me to the university,

which is five minutes away, to hand out some leaflets

to drum up business for this event today and nobody can join me.

I wonder whether this comes from Nahida.

You know, Nahida does have, even today, to this day,

the attitude that, "Well, people will come.

"We've built this restaurant, and people will come."

They won't. And they're not. And I don't think they will.

Bye.

'At last, one member of the family does show up...'

Cavalry to the rescue.

'..and we head straight out

'to hit office workers and university students just before lunchtime.'

Can I interrupt you for a second?

Can I give you a leaflet for an all-you-can-eat buffet today?

All right, lads? We're doing a buffet today in the restaurant

from 12 to the end of the day.

'The best form of marketing

'is happy customers spreading the news by word of mouth.

'But that can't happen unless we get people through the door.'

All-you-can-eat today for 3.99.

-How is it 3.99?

-Yeah...

It's just so cheap. Exactly.

'One hour on the ground, a few hundred leaflets...'

All-you-can-eat...

All-you-can-eat buffet?

All-you-can-eat buffet?

'And when we get back to Desi Fusion,

'it's already busier than I have ever seen it.'

So, a few people in?

We have, we've got some people in, yeah.

More than we normally get in at lunchtime, so...

-Is it?

-Yes.

-That's good.

'In fact, the buffet gives Desi Fusion its best day,

'with takings of £420.

'With a valid lunchtime offer,

'people are finally coming through the door.

'But it will need this sort of sustained effort

'to build up their customer base.

'So, a few days later, I'm really surprised to hear

'that Nahida hasn't continued with the lunch time buffet.

'Despite generating her best numbers yet,

'she feels the cost of hiring the heated buffet equipment

'is just one more expense.

'She also doesn't think that she's close enough to the university

'to be popular with students.

'I'm becoming increasingly concerned

'and want to hear if things are improving.'

Hi, Nahida?

It's Russell, how are you?

'I'm good, how are you?'

Very well, thank you. How are things up in Coventry?

Business is still bad. It's really bad.

-Really bad?

-'Yeah.'

Can you tell me how bad?

-Today is the worst.

-'What happened today?'

We've taken £3.49 so far.

It's the worst day.

'That's pretty bad.'

It's very bad.

I'm worried, Nahida, I've got to say.

-Your cash flow is dismal.

-Mm.

-Your rent is due, I would have thought.

-'Yeah, yeah.'

And not only that, I've got the council tax due as well.

Have you paid your staff yet?

No, I'm supposed to pay them at the end of the month.

-So, you've got a big bunch of bills...

-'I know.'

-..that you haven't yet paid and no money coming in.

-'No.'

Have you thought about what you're going to do,

and how you're going to make those payments?

'What can I do, Russell?'

My only other option is to lock the door and walk away,

sell everything I've put in there and salvage the machinery

and see what I can get for it, and pay my staff.

-'Have you thought about that?'

-I have, yeah.

At one point in the build before you opened,

-you said to me that you wish you hadn't started.

-Yeah.

But that you felt that you had to carry on

-and you had to see it through because you'd come this far.

-Yeah.

How much longer do you think you're going to be able to say that?

'Don't know.'

I don't know.

-Another week or so.

-'I...'

-Another week or so?

-'Yeah.'

Is that in your mind as your cut-off point?

Maybe.

I think Nahida's been throwing good money after bad

for at least half the project so far.

She should cut her losses and she should shut the restaurant.

A restaurant taking £3.50 in a day is not a viable business.

There's no sense in carrying on.

I don't know what I was thinking.

I was thinking it was going to be the greatest thing that ever happened,

you know, my restaurant - the doors were going to open

and I was going to be swamped with customers.

It's like Russell said right at the beginning,

I didn't think it through, did I? Not properly.

Something I wanted to do and I just dived right in.

And I'm paying the price now. So...

Just frantically holding on...tight, trying not to let go.

With new restaurants three times more likely to go bust

than any other business, sadly Nahida has made the same mistakes

that many budding restaurateurs make.

Passion and a good idea are not enough to succeed

in this unforgiving business.

This has been a painful life lesson for Nahida.

I feel like I've let everybody down.

You know, I did this for my children.

It's two months since our phone call

and I don't know how she's done it,

but Nahida is still open.

She's had to borrow another £5,000 from the bank

and another £18,000 from her family.

But she's hired a new chef,

who is producing dishes more in keeping with her home-style cooking.

She has rejigged her opening times to help cut costs,

and she's tapping into the local theatre crowd

by doing direct marketing.

A feat of perseverance, if nothing else.

I kind of feel I'm here,

and I've got to try and do what I can while I can, to...

Not just for myself, but for my family as well.

'You have to admire Nahida's determination,

'but I'm worried she'll be throwing yet more money after the £68,000

'she's sunk in so far.

'So I've come back one last time

'to see if we can salvage anything from the situation.'

There are two options open to Nahida -

she can continue to trade, continue to lose money

and wait for the landlord to come knocking

when a rent bill is not paid.

That way she will lose all of her money.

A better option for Nahida

would be to proactively seek the help of an agent

and see whether the business is marketable.

If she gets something for it,

at least she'd be able to make a dent in her debts.

'Martyn Hurdley is a business transfer agent.

'He specialises in buying and selling businesses.

'I want him to put a value on Nahida's restaurant,

'to see if there's any way out for her.'

-Nahida.

-Hello, Russell.

-This is Martyn.

-Hello.

-Martyn, this is Nahida.

-Hiya.

-Nice to see you.

I've brought Martyn here today

-because he's a commercial property specialist.

-OK.

He's going to have a chat with you and have a look around the business.

OK, that's nice.

The value of a restaurant business lies in three areas -

the lease, the fixtures and fittings and the goodwill.

Goodwill is the potential return trade

provided by a loyal customer base.

Desi Fusion just hasn't been open long enough to have generated any.

The lease has got some value -

it's got A3 and A5 hot food takeaway.

-Yeah.

-That is getting more and more difficult now to obtain.

The infrastructure is here, isn't it?

The kitchen's there, the flue, the tables, chairs -

so, there is a value to it.

I normally ask at this stage,

how much did you spend on fitting it out?

Realistically, near £40,000.

-Really?

-Yeah, yeah.

Well, that is going to be difficult, probably, to get your money back.

I wouldn't really put a value any more than £25,000 on it

as it is at the moment.

My concern, Nahida, is for the future.

I think I would like to advise you to think very carefully,

and think positively about Martyn's comments

-and perhaps put Desi Fusion on the market.

-Yeah.

When you have that real offer in front of you,

-I think it might make things clearer for you.

-Yeah.

And I think it might help you make the right decision.

To go forward, yeah.

-Would you do that?

-I would.

If you had your time again, Nahida, what would you do differently?

I'd start off small.

I'd start something smaller and get people wanting the food first

and getting a taste for it.

What lessons have you learned through this process?

Going back to the beginning - everything you said,

-do my homework, do my business plan.

-So, if you had your time again,

-you would do all those things?

-I would do all those things.

Nahida, I don't think I've ever met anybody quite like you.

It's been an absolute pleasure.

I feel a huge amount of affection for you and your family.

Thank you.

-And I do appreciate all your advice.

-Not at all.

Everything that you've helped us through.

You have done a lot,

and I know I have made all the decisions myself, and everything.

-Sometimes the wrong ones.

-Yeah, well, we learn from those,

and hopefully I've learnt a big lesson.

You know, it's incredibly sad when a business fails

and I'm particularly saddened that this one is failing.

I have such a great deal of affection for Nahida,

and I loved her vision when she described it to me

all those months ago.

If there's a lesson to be learned here,

it's that you need an absolutely solid set of financial plans

when opening a restaurant, and you need to stick to your vision.

'Next time, I'll be helping Kate turn her rural home into a cafe.'

People will come in through the front door, into here.

BABY CRIES Sorry.

'But will family life suffer when she employs her little sister?'

She can be a bit of a control freak.

She freely admits that.

'With no restaurant experience, can she cope with the pressure?'

Oh, my goodness me!

'And will there be any customers?'

It's 10:30, and I haven't seen a single person.

# Don't stop, no, I'll never give up

# And I'll never look back Just hold your head up

# And if it gets rough it's time to get rough

# They keep saying

# Don't stop, no-one's ever enough

# I'll never look back, never give up

# And if it gets rough it's time to get rough

# But now I'm falling falling, falling

# Falling, falling, falling

# Falling, falling falling, falling, falling, oh

# Now we're going down... #