JUDGING by much of the reaction to recent closures of high street food chains, you’d surmise that the restaurant business is too risky to contemplate.

Such gloomy talk frustrates Adam Jones, co-founder of Tattu, the glamorous new contemporary Chinese restaurant that opened its doors in Edinburgh earlier this year.

“There is so much to be positive about in this sector,” says the 34-year-old businessman. “We create jobs and deliver happy experiences to people. We need to get that message out to people. There are challenges but there are also fantastic opportunities out there. It’s a tough industry but also massively fulfilling.”

Mr Jones opened the first Tattu – the concept and branding of the business is inspired by Asian body art - with his brother and partner Drew in their home city of Manchester four and a half years ago. They had always wanted to open in Edinburgh, but felt they needed more experience before committing to the Capital.

“Edinburgh is a very special place,” he explains. “But we weren’t quite ready after Manchester, so opened next in Leeds and Birmingham. This isn’t a chain – every city is different and every Tattu is unique. We want every venue to feel special.

“We realised we’d need a strong central team in place to make Edinburgh work, and that’s exactly what we’ve got. The Edinburgh staff are incredible –engaged and professional from day one, totally committed to our vision.”

That vision encompasses not only wonderful food but beautiful interiors and excellent service; in short, a visit to Tattu, on W Register Street, is an experience in itself.

“Chinese food was always our favourite and the Tattu brand was built around connectivity, originality and uniqueness. Young people these days want to connect with a brand and the story behind it.

“Tattu is an occasion restaurant – first dates, anniversaries, special birthdays – a place where memories are created.”

Mr Jones originally trained as a lawyer before changing career path and going into the hospitality sector, working his way up in different venues and cities in the UK, US and Spain. He came up with the concept of Tattu two years before opening his first restaurant in 2015. Since then the brand has gone from strength to strength, with the programme of organic expansion paying dividends.

“The key to any sort of expansion is consistency,” he adds. “You have to be able to maintain quality on a wider scale and that’s not always easy. Our brand isn’t ever going to be a huge business – we don’t want to dilute what made us successful in the first place. We think five or six will be the maximum. You can’t just recreate something good over and over again.

“We employ 370 people and having that many livelihoods relying on you is a huge responsibility. If you grow too fast you can’t focus on keeping customers and staff engaged.”

But with the responsibility comes motivation, explains the entrepreneur.

“I just love creating and delivering new experiences for people. And when you run your own business you have the chance to control your own destiny – that’s what excites me most.”

Entering the market in Edinburgh has been a fantastic experience, he says – “the quality of the restaurant sector tells you everything you need to know about quality of the people working in it” – but he is all too aware that complacency in such a competitive sector leads to decline.

“Stand still in this industry is dangerous,” he says. “Customers are more savvy than ever before. They can see what people on the other side of the world are experiencing. You always have to be looking for ways to improve the experience. And there are huge opportunities out there for creative people willing to do things differently.”