45. Cook & Garcia

Founders: Richard and Janet Garcia
Founded: August 2011 (launched May 2012)
Website: www.cookandgarcia.co.uk

Set up by husband and wife duo Richard and Janet Garcia, Richmond-based artisan sandwich shop Cook & Garcia is a shining example of the UK’s rise in high street independents. Offering fresh, made to order, food and coffee with pricing kept within the “magic £5 lunchtime budget”, Cook & Garcia has become a favourite amongst South West Londoners; averaging over 300 customers per day with 40% of its daily visitors being repeat custom.

Since featuring in the Startups 100 2013, the cafe branch has continued to grow; increasing its sales month by month. Claiming its success is due to giving customers more choice than the “usual generic chains”, the cafe start-up’s popularity is evidenced in its impressive revenue figures – boasting £380,000 turnover for 2013 projections of £680,000 for 2014. Over the last year, the sandwich shop has reaped the benefits of new additional revenue streams with “huge growth” of its local office delivery service. Having secured investment from a private equity house just a few weeks ago, the Garcia’s now have wider plans for their sandwich brand and additional Cook & Garcia sites are in the pipeline with plans to open two new shops each year.