The couple behind a Fife restaurant named the UK’s best Thai eatery by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay plan to use their success as a springboard to develop a new range of cook-at-home products.
Husband-and-wife team Sandy and Bee Mitchell, of St Andrews’ critically-acclaimed Nahm-Jim, are to give up their venue in the hope of bridging what they see as a gap in the UK market.
They plan to use their contacts and expertise in Thai food and brand development to create and ship a new line of products from the Far East, and say the time has come to step back from the restaurant they have run for more than a decade.
Mr Mitchell said their plan has already been in development for 2 years, with the move attracting a number of potential backers.
He estimates set-up costs to the point of first production will reach around £160,000, with products not expected to hit the shelves for at least 12 months.
Market testing is under way with the help of specialist consultants, and packaging is also under development.
The couple believe there is a real opportunity to target home cooks who want to make their own authentic Thai meals.
“There’s no consumer confidence in making Thai food at home from a consumer point of view, and what we want to do is bridge that gap using the brand that Bee has been able to cultivate in the Thai food market,” Mr Mitchell said. “That’s the idea. It’s an obvious project, we’ve got market backers, and we think we’ve got a good idea.”
Spurred on by the acclaim won during the restaurant’s participation in Ramsay’s Best Restaurants in 2010 and being voted the UK’s number one Thai restaurant by the Sunday Times in 2008, the Mitchells are also already in talks over a licensing agreement for the use of the Nahm-Jim name by a haggis manufacturer.
“We know there are a lot of people who will be sad to see Nahm-Jim go,” said Mr Mitchell. “But we have done it for 10 years and the restaurant isn’t where we see the future for us.”
He said the change would also allow the couple and their children to spend more time as a family after a decade of packed services and late-night finishes.
But Mr Mitchell also said he could not rule out an agreement over the continuation of the Nahm-Jim name under new management, or on alternative premises.
Specialist property agent Christie + Co is inviting offers for the leasehold interest over Nahm-Jim’s Market Street premises, with an annual rent of £97,000.
The firm said the 100-cover restaurant and attached takeaway business, over the ground and first floors, would lend itself to “a variety of different international cuisines”.
It is understood the agent has already fielded a number of inquiries about the site.
“Nahm-Jim is an outstanding restaurant opportunity located in Market Street, in the heart of St Andrews,” said Christie + Co associate director Barry McNeil.
“The business has been in our clients’ hands for the last 10 years, during which time they have successfully grown the business to a multi-award-winning and well-recognised Thai restaurant.
“There is a lack of good quality restaurant space available in St Andrews, and I am sure the opportunity of Nahm-Jim will attract significant interest from local and corporate operators.”