Ep 1. The Duck Truck, BBQ Dreamz & Jah Jyot - Fast Casual

In the first episode of season 2 of Million Pound Menu, we meet three culinary concepts that all specialize in fast casual dining. The first is The Duck Truck, a food truck that serves a variety of dishes featuring duck as the main ingredient. Next up is BBQ Dreamz, a Filipino-inspired barbecue joint run by two best friends. And finally, we have Jah Jyot, a vegan Indian kitchen that aims to put a modern spin on classic Indian dishes.

The episode begins with all three concepts arriving at the Manchester Art Gallery, where they will be showcasing their food and business plans to potential investors. Each team has just three days to make an impression and secure investment from some of the biggest players in the food industry.

The Duck Truck, led by chef Dan, serves up dishes such as duck confit bao buns and duck fat chips. The judges appreciate the quality of the duck, but question whether the concept is scalable beyond just a food truck. BBQ Dreamz, run by friends Lee and Sinead, specializes in Filipino barbecue dishes such as chicken inasal and pork belly skewers. The judges are impressed with the flavors and the concept, but worry that the market for Filipino food in the UK might not be large enough.

Finally, we meet Jah Jyot, an all-vegan Indian kitchen led by chef Manisha. She serves up dishes such as jackfruit curry and vegan kebabs, all with a modern twist. The judges are blown away by the creativity and flavors of the food, but have concerns about the pricing and whether it is affordable enough for the fast casual market.

Throughout the episode, each concept faces various challenges as they try to impress the investors and secure funding. The Duck Truck struggles with staffing issues and limited space in their food truck, while BBQ Dreamz has trouble translating their food into a fast casual format. Jah Jyot faces a crucial moment when they realize a key ingredient has been left behind and they have to improvise on the fly.

As the episode comes to a close, all three concepts make their pitch to a panel of investors, including Chef Atul Kochhar, who has previously held two Michelin stars. The panel is impressed with all three concepts, but ultimately must decide where to invest their money. Viewers will have to tune in to see which of these fast casual dining concepts comes out on top and secures the investment they need to take their business to the next level.