A restaurateur is expanding his Oxford business as he looks to bounce back after losing everything in a failed venture.

Max Mason has opened the second floor with an extra 130 covers at the Big Bang sausage restaurant in Walton Street, Jericho, after borrowing £40,000 from his parents.

The move comes after Mr Mason lost £250,000 when the recession forced a Bristol branch to close last year, leaving debts of £250,000 and pushing his business into a ‘pre-liquidation sale’.

Mr Mason, 33, said: “I lost everything I had but I asked the company that bought it, Walton Street Eaterie, if I could stay on and earn the right to buy it back.

“Now I want to petition the creditors and do that. It has been an expensive few months.”

Mr Mason said the Big Bang in Oxford, which opened in 2004, had always been profitable.

He is also introducing a ‘bring-your-own’ bottle service in the basement to cater for budget diners, while also opening for longer.

He said: “We recently had our busiest night ever with 230 customers and there is nothing more galling than turning people away, so hopefully this will help.”