London premium steakhouse, Hawksmoor, is close to selling a minority stake to the private-equity firm behind London's Groucho club. Investors in Hawksmoor are in talks with Graphite Capital, the former owner of the Wagamama chain.
Will Beckett and Huw Gott opened the first restaurant in 2010 and the brand has gone from strength to strength with a further three sites. Underdog Restaurants, which operates Hawksmoor, nearly tripled pre-tax profits to £1.2m over the year to December 2011, according to its latest accounts. The restaurant's turnover soared from £3.7m to £10.6m over the period.
Graphite acquired the Groucho Club, the private members' club that the artist Damien Hirst and actress Sienna Miller have frequented - in 2006. Last year, Graphite invested £21m in Rex Restaurant Associates, the parent company of London's upmarket Wolseley restaurant.