Rockfish is a seafood restaurant group founded by Mitch Tonks, with nine coastal locations in the South-West, as well as The Seahorse in Dartmouth, which consistently ranks as one of the best restaurants in the country.

They focus on delivering the freshest seafood to customers, sourcing directly from the Brixham fishing fleet and the most sustainable fisheries in the world.

Chaired by Will Beckett, co-founder and CEO of Hawksmoor, the board also includes Henry Dimbleby (ex-Leon & London Union), Steven Leadbeater (ex-Findus and 2 Sisters Food Groups) & John Barnes (ex-La Tasca and Harry Ramsden).

We initially invested in January 2019 and then participated in an oversubscribed £3mn funding round in April 2024. This investment will be used to deliver medium-term growth plans including three new site openings in 2024.

Investment rationale

At the time of our initial investment, the business had just had an excellent year, with double-digit increases in LFL trading. More recently, having navigated the challenges of Covid on the hospitality sector, the business has grown from five locations to nine.