Maray opened its first Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant in Bold Street in 2014, followed by Allerton Road and its third outlet opened in the Royal Albert Dock in July. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool loan and equity provider MSIF backed local restaurant brand Maray with £120,000 to open a third outlet and the venture is already proving a hit with diners.

After opening its first premises on Bold Street in 2014, Maray has attracted a significant following across the Liverpool region and later opened a second restaurant in Allerton Road in South Liverpool.

In July it brought its Middle Eastern-inspired menu to the city’s Royal Albert Dock, backed with the £120,000 MSIF loan, and the it ha already seen more than 10,000 diners come though the door.

Maray now stands as one of the go-to eateries in Liverpool and, capturing the attention of national publications such as The Guardian. Maray has also featured in the Good Food Guide for the past three editions and are one of only nine restaurants in Liverpool in the 2020 edition.

Maray founders; James Bates, Dominic Jones and Thomas White approached MSIF investment manager Jim Moore to acquire funding for the expansion into the Royal Albert Dock site.

James said: “MSIF were a pleasure to deal with from the off. This is the first time we have funded through debt. Jim was thorough in explaining everything and helped us through the application process making it relatively pain free.”

Jim Moore added: “It has been a pleasure to work with the team from Maray. They have a great passion for what they do and this is reflected in the success of their existing restaurants. I look forward to seeing what they will achieve over the coming months.”