Mexican-American actor Danny Trejo is planning to open a flagship taco restaurant in central London, followed by a succession of delivery-only ghost kitchens to open every three months. He has raised £775,000 of a £1million target in a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs.

The 78-year-old Trejo is a reformed junkie gangster who spent much of his early adulthood in a roll-call of famous California penitentiaries including Soledad, San Quentin and Folsom before sorting himself out on a 12-step programme. He then worked in construction before falling accidentally into a career as an actor, generally portraying gangsters modelled on his earlier self.

A man with a relish for second, third and fourth chances in life, he has eight restaurants to his name in Los Angeles and has published two books in the last two years – a cookbook, Trejo’s Tacos, and a memoir that made the New York Times bestsellers list last year.

According to the introduction on Seedrs, the flagship Trejo’s Tacos restaurant will be followed by a further restaurant every year in the UK. The £1million represents 21% equity in the company.