Kala kickstarter begins tonight as Gary Usher bids to crowdfund £100k for Manchester restaurant

Chef Gary Usher will start his latest crowdfunding appeal tonight in a bid to raise £100,000 needed to keep his new Manchester restaurant Kala on track to open this year.

Gary, known for his award-winning eateries including Hispi in Didsbury, Sticky Walnut in Chester and Wreckfish in Liverpool, has admitted he “messed up the budget” for Kala, which is currently taking shape inside the former Whistles fashion shop on King Street.

Now, he’s setting an ambitious £100,000 Kickstarter appeal which he will need to raise over 100 hours with public donations – starting from Monday night at 9pm – to ensure the restaurant goes ahead.

The entrepreneur has had huge success with previous Kickstarter appeals, and this one will offer some incredible paybacks depending on how much you pledge to support.

That includes pledging for a place at an exclusive dinner cooked by Michelin starred chef Tom Kerridge at either Hispi on 25th March or Wreckfish on 26th March, as well as cookery masterclasses with Gary and his team.

A video to support the Kickstarter was released at the weekend, where Gary showcases the current building site, and how the interiors are likely to look, including a main 55-cover dining space on the upper floor.

He speaks of how the name for the restaurant Kala, which means black in Urdu, is inspired by the black pillars at the heart of the building that he describes as “almost like Kryptonite”.

In the video, Gary explains why opening his latest restaurant on King Street is so significant for him.

He said: “So 15 years ago I used to work on this street, and I feel pretty proud of what has turned around and what has happened in the past 15 years. And this is the next one.”

He went on: “We’ve never been in this position before where we’ve started a project and run short. What are we going to do if we don’t raise the £100k on the crowdfund? My answer is I’m not sure really.

“I’m not confident we’ll achieve it, but I feel good about what people are saying about it.”

Stay tuned to Kala’s Kickstarter site from 9pm to get involved in the appeal.