Just Eat, the online food delivery marketplace, has launched a ‘Business Booster’ programme ut says in a statement has been “designed to support restaurants and address the challenges they face as they seek to grow their business”.

The online marketplace has said that it is teaming up with entrepreneur and ex Dragon’s Den star Sarah Willingham to give out one on one business mentoring to restaurant owners.

Gillingham has form in the restaurant sector. She has had senior management roles at Pizza Express and is one of those credited for taking the Bombay Bicycle Club chain of Indian restaurants from five outlets to being the biggest chain of its kind in the UK. She will also advise businesses through a series of regional events, blogs and advice that will be shared through the Just Eat communications channels.

Commenting on the new programme, Graham Corfield, UK Managing Director at Just Eat said: “As the market leader in online food delivery, we are committed to helping independent restaurants thrive. Whether it’s using our technology to help them reach a broader customer base, our data to help restaurant owners make more informed business decisions, or our scale in negotiating nationwide deals to help reduce costs.

“The restaurants that we partner with are important pillars of high streets up and down the UK. If we can help them at a local level, to improve profitability and efficiencies, the combined impact on the economy could be huge. Restaurant partners are the beating heart of our business, which is why we are so pleased to be launching our Business Booster initiative to support them in running even more successful businesses. Sarah’s experience of growing her own restaurant brands means she is the perfect partner to help us achieve this aim.”