The second solo restaurant from ex-Gaucho Managing Director, Martin Williams, M Victoria Street will host a pop-up dining experience this month in support of Not For Sale – a global organisation that works to end human trafficking.
Taking place from 19th-24th and 26th-29th March, the temporary restaurant inside M RAW will raise funds and awareness, with 100 per cent of profits being donated to charity. ‘M IS NOT FOR SALE’, the two-week pop-up will celebrate women’s empowerment month, serving a five-course menu designed by M Group Executive Chef Michael Reid. Here, the menu will take inspiration from Peru, Vietnam, Thailand and the USA – some of the countries where Not For Sale projects have had the biggest impact to date: funding the building of homes and creating a support structure to free children and adults from sex trafficking and the slave trade.
Each night, the menu will be accompanied by a Champagne reception, with seats limited to 50 guests per night. A different celebrity will also ‘sponsor’ each evening, donating raffle prizes or making appearances. All 50 diners will be automatically entered into the raffle draw, each night. Confirmed celebrities include Tinie Tempah, BBC Radio presenter Simon Mayo and rugby player Simon Shaw OBE.
Priced at £75 per person, all profits from “M IS NOT FOR SALE’, supported by OpenTable, will raise money for companies affiliated with Professor David Batstone’s Not For Sale organisation, including ‘Dignita’, a restaurant group a restaurant group in Amsterdam which works as a social enterprise model, running culinary training programmes to rehabilitate those who have experienced exploitation or trafficking. The survivors are trained in employment skills to grow their confidence to re-enter the work force.
Speaking on ‘M IS NOT FOR SALE’, Martin Williams, owner of M Restaurants, said: “Modern slavery and sex trafficking is a silent cancer in our society which is as prevalent in Hospitality as any other sector – this is a London as well as a global problem.
“Professor David Batstone is leading the fight against human trafficking by building self-sustaining businesses that feed profits into making dramatic and inspiring changes. At M we have embraced a philanthropic culture since I founded the company in 2014, so it excites me hugely to support Not For Sale with a series of dinners, which will bring both awareness and funds to support the charity. I am also delighted that we have a group of like-minded celebrities joining us for the pop-up dinners and that our opening night particularly focuses on Women’s Empowerment Month.”
Professor David Batstone added: “Not only do we look for an alignment of values with our partners – foremost the respect for human dignity – but we seek out commercial innovators as well. We are known internationally for inventing new solutions, so we only partner with commercial disrupters who aim to redesign their own markets. Martin Williams and M Restaurant meet that criteria perfectly.”
Also speaking on the pop-up, Christa Quarles, CEO of OpenTable, said: “We couldn’t be prouder to be supporting this cause as the exclusive reservation partner for M is Not for Sale. At OpenTable we are passionate about diversity and inclusion and supporting Women’s empowerment. Our business is all about bringing people together around the dining table, and to be able to do this in support of a global issue that effects our industry is incredibly important.”
Seats for the ‘M IS NOT FOR SALE’ pop-up can be reserved through OpenTable. The five-course dinner, including a glass of Champagne, costs £75 per person. Further information can be found at mrestaurants.co.uk.
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