Gourmet Burger chief takes a slice of Tortilla

Paul Campbell, the chief executive of Clapham House, which owns the Gourmet Burger Kitchen chain, has taken a personal stake in Tortilla, the Mexican food company.

Mr Campbell, who has become a director of the firm, is taking what he described as a "meaningful holding" in the London company, with an option to take a bigger stake in the future should the firm continue to prosper. "Tortilla really reminds me of GBK," said Mr Campbell, a former finance director of the Pizza Express chain. "Mexican food is growing in popularity in Britain and Tortilla is a great business."

Tortilla is run by Brandon Stephens, a Princeton graduate who used to run retailer Arcadia's e-commerce business in London.

"When I arrived from California in 2003, I couldn't find a decent burrito anywhere in London," said Mr Stephens. "So we eventually launched Tortilla, focusing on simple burritos and tacos."

So far, Tortilla has four restaurants in London with plans to launch another four in the capital and the surrounding area this year.

"The challenge is finding the right properties rather than getting additional funds raised," said Mr Stephens. "We know we offer great food at Tortilla."