Pinion launches with thank you event for crowdfunding supporters

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Gary Usher’s fifth restaurant, Pinion, has opened in Prescot with a supporters’ launch event following a hugely successful, record-breaking crowdfunding campaign, which raised £50k in less than an hour.

Gary says: “The response we have received to Pinion has been completely humbling. As soon as I first visited the site and met some of the locals, I knew that we had to open a restaurant here and the feedback since has been incredible from both Prescot and further afield. Even when we were finishing off the build, we had people queuing up to see the menu or offer their help and when we opened reservations, we received over 500 bookings in the first afternoon.  We’re just so pleased that we’re finally open and looking forward to serving up some lovely food in the heart of Prescot.”

Four months since Gary and his team launched their fourth crowdfunding campaign to raise £50k to open a bistro on Prescot’s high street, a sold-out, ticketed launch event took place on 22nd September for crowdfunding pledgees, friends, family and VIPs.

Gary Usher at Pinion
Gary Usher at Pinion

Guests enjoyed samples from the Pinion menu, including: Beef featherblade croquette, pickled walnut, Squash arincini, mozzarella, tomato and gordal olive, crispy duck heart tarragon mayonnaise, White chicory, Stilton, walnut and apple, Cured mackerel, pickled cucumber and roasted beetroot and Fresh cream profiterole, salted caramel.

Gary was initially drawn to Prescot through recent efforts by the community and Knowsley Council initiatives to raise the profile of the town and regenerate the high street. Pinion, named as a nod to the town’s watchmaking history, is the fifth restaurant in the ‘Elite Bistro’s of the World’ group and features the other restaurant’s signature ‘laid back, bistro style’ on Eccleston Street in the town centre.

Open Wednesday-Sunday, the 70-cover bistro serves a lunch and early evening menu, as well as an A la Carte from 6pm and a Sunday lunch menu.  The menus include dishes such as: chicken liver pate, battered haddock and chips, whole camembert, braised featherblade of beef, butternut squash and mozzarella arancini, dark chocolate mousse with crushed honeycomb and steamed lemon suet sponge.

A huge £16k was raised in the first 15 minutes of the Kickstarter campaign, with over 200 backers. By the first 30 minutes, the figure had reached £31,405, and by 10pm the full £50k had been achieved.

Pinion is now open with reservations available to book online. For more information, visit http://pinionbistro.com.