Roots York

What Roots York does

Roots York is a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant founded in 2018 and located at 68 Marygate in York, England. The restaurant operates under the culinary direction of two Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks and Head Chef Will Lockwood (Great British Menu North East winner), and is part of the broader Tommy Banks Group alongside sister restaurant Black Swan Oldstead. The operation employs approximately 7 staff and serves affluent fine dining enthusiasts, tourists visiting York, pre-theatre diners, and special occasion customers Wed-Sun.

The restaurant's core technology and differentiator is a proprietary set of hyper-seasonal produce preservation techniques — fermentation, candying, curing, pickling, and drying — applied to ingredients harvested from the Tommy Banks family farm and garden in Oldstead, North Yorkshire. These techniques allow produce to be preserved for weeks, months, or even years, creating a unique pantry of ingredients unavailable to competitors and enabling year-round service of seasonal Yorkshire produce. The product portfolio consists of two tasting menus (Core at £110 and Signature at £165), a Sunday Feast menu at £75, seasonal menu editions (Summer and Autumn), and curated drinks packages alongside a 130+ wine list by the glass. A limited-time 'Beyond the Core' promotion offers the Signature Menu at Core pricing during September-October.

Roots York operates a direct-to-consumer model with reservations managed through the Resdiary online widget, gift vouchers sold via the Giftpro platform, and a small upstairs bar service. Revenue streams are one-time transactional (tasting menu covers, Sunday Feast covers, drinks, gift vouchers, special wine dinners) supplemented by a 12.5% discretionary service charge. Distribution is single-site only — there is no multi-location footprint and no delivery channel. Marketing relies on the Michelin reputation, chef celebrity, organic search, email newsletter, social media presence, hotel partnerships (The Grand York), and bespoke events as marketing moments.

Name

Roots York

Legal name

Roots York

Website

https://rootsyork.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roots York is a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in York, England, offering tasting menus (Core £110, Signature £165) built around proprietary preservation techniques applied to produce from the Tommy Banks family farm in Oldstead, serving affluent diners and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Dining

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants (THAFACAF)

Keywords

• Fine dining restaurant
• Tasting menu experience
• Michelin-starred dining
• Seasonal produce preservation
• Yorkshire farm-to-table

Headquarters

HQ city

York, England

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fine Dining Tasting Menus: Revenue from two tasting menu experiences: The Core Menu (£110) available Wed-Fri evenings and Fri-Sat lunches, and The Signature Menu (£165) available Wed-Sat. These represent the primary revenue stream.
2. Sunday Feast: Set Sunday lunch menu at £75 per person, served every Sunday from 12pm-4pm. Features traditional roast components with seasonal twists and vegetarian alternatives.
3. Wine and Drinks Pairing: Extensive wine list with over 130 wines available by the glass. Drinks packages including Experimental & Adventurous (from £40), Grand & Classic (from £80), and Soft & Inventive non-alcoholic pairing (from £30). Cocktails and homemade soft drinks also available.
4. Gift Vouchers: Email gift vouchers sold through the Roots York Giftpro online store.
5. Special Events: Special wine dinner events such as the South African Wine Dinner at £195 per person including 7-course tasting menu and 6 wine pairings.
6. Service Charge: Discretionary service charge of 12.5% added to bills, shared between all staff.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Roots York is a single-site Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in York that serves multi-course tasting menus built around hyper-seasonal produce preserved from the Tommy Banks family farm and garden in Oldstead. The restaurant offers two principal tasting menus (Core at GBP 110 and Signature at GBP 165), a Sunday Feast lunch at GBP 75, curated drinks pairings, and an extensive wine list with 130+ wines by the glass. It also runs special wine dinner events and sells email gift vouchers redeemable against dining experiences.

Product overview

Roots York is a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant offering an innovative tasting menu experience curated by chef Tommy Banks and Head Chef Will Lockwood. The restaurant's product portfolio consists of two primary tasting menus—the Core Menu (£110) and Signature Menu (£165)—alongside a Sunday Feast Menu (£75). Seasonal variations include the Summer and Autumn Sunday Feast offerings. The restaurant also provides curated drinks packages and an extensive wine list featuring over 130 wines by the glass. A promotional offering called 'Beyond The Core' provides access to the Signature Menu at Core Menu pricing during September and October.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Menu A tasting menu featuring ingredients preserved through fermentation, candying, curing, pickling, or drying for weeks or months, priced at GBP 110 per person and available Wednesday to Friday evenings and Friday to Saturday lunches.
• Signature Menu An elevated tasting menu showcasing ingredients preserved over many years or even decades, offering a deeper exploration of Oldstead's seasonal produce, priced at GBP 165 per person and available Wednesday through Saturday.
• Sunday Feast Menu A set Sunday lunch menu celebrating the British Sunday roast, reimagined through seasonal Yorkshire cooking, priced at GBP 75 per person and served Sundays 12pm-4pm.
• Drinks Packages Curated drinks pairings including Experimental & Adventurous (from GBP 40), Grand & Classic (from GBP 80), and Soft & Inventive non-alcoholic pairing (from GBP 30).
• Wine List Over 130 wines available by the glass, featuring small independent producers, rare classics, and exclusive blends, with cocktails and collaboration beers also available.
• Gift Vouchers Email gift vouchers available for purchase online for Roots York dining experiences, sold via Giftpro.
• Beyond The Core A limited-time promotion available September and October offering the Signature Menu experience at the Core Menu price of GBP 110, with additional complimentary courses (a GBP 55 per person saving).
• Summer Sunday Feast A lighter seasonal interpretation of the Sunday roast featuring summer ingredients such as Sungold Tomato Salad, BBQ Herb Fed Chicken, and Strawberry Pavlova, available July through September at GBP 75 per person.
• South African Wine Dinner A special one-off event featuring a 7-course tasting menu created by Head Chef Will Lockwood with 6 paired South African wines served by visiting winemakers, priced at GBP 195 per person.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Grand Hotel YorkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with York luxury 5-star hotel offering Roots York customers an exclusive 10% discount on overnight stays when using code ROOTS24. Cross-promotional relationship benefiting both hospitality brands.
• Black Swan OldsteadcoreOthersSister restaurant within the Tommy Banks Group, located in Oldstead, North Yorkshire. Both restaurants are part of the same hospitality group led by chef Tommy Banks. Vouchers for Black Swan cannot be used at Roots and vice versa.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Star Inn at Harome: Long-established Michelin-starred gastropub in North Yorkshire led by chef Andrew Pern. Comparable as a premium, single-location North England fine-dining destination with strong chef brand and produce-driven menus.
• The Man Behind the Curtain: Michelin-starred chef-owned tasting-menu restaurant in Leeds by Michael O'Hare. Directly comparable as a Northern England chef-led, tasting-menu concept targeting foodie and culinary-tourism diners with bold, innovative menus.
• Restaurant Sat Bains: Two-Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant in Nottingham led by chef Sat Bains. Comparable as a UK regional tasting-menu destination with premium pricing and chef-driven, multi-course experiences similar to Roots' Core/Signature structure.
• The Angel at Hetton: Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in the Yorkshire Dales. Closely comparable as a single-location North of England fine-dining venue with chef reputation, premium pricing, and a destination-dining customer mix.
• Black Swan Oldstead: Sister restaurant within the Tommy Banks Group, located at the Oldstead family farm that supplies Roots York with preserved produce. Closely comparable product (tasting menu, farm-driven), same culinary leadership, and overlapping customer base.

Emerging players

• Frog by Adam Handling: Chef-led London tasting-menu concept. Comparable as a young, chef-driven, technology-forward fine-dining venue pursuing Michelin-level positioning at premium prices; relevant benchmark for cover pricing and brand building trajectory.

Regional players

• The Grand York (hotel dining): Five-star hotel in York with whom Roots operates a 10% ROOTS24 partnership. Adjacent comparable because both serve luxury and culinary-tourism diners visiting York, and compete for the same high-end occasion occasion dining wallet.

Broad incumbents

• The Fat Duck: Three-Michelin-starred tasting-menu restaurant in Bray by Heston Blumenthal. Comparable as a globally recognised, chef-led multi-course tasting-menu format, though at a meaningfully larger scale and brand tier than Roots York.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roots-york

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roots York