The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on Chilango's bond issuance (hat tip: Graeme Acheson). Chilango is a Mexican fast-food outlet in London, which is seeking to expand across London. To achieve this, they have issued a four-year bond with an 8% coupon. However, for those who invest £10,000 in the bonds, there is an additional coupon in the form of a free burrito every week during the lifetime of the bond. This seems to be a trend, with Hotel Chocolat paying its bond coupon with chocolate (see video below)! Issuing bonds helps small firms bypass banks and they are not a new innovation. Small firms financed themselves in this manner before 1913.
Michael Aldous and I had our book The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Captains of Industry published a few weeks ago. You can find out more about it and buy it at Cambridge University Press's website . It is also available at Amazon , Waterstones , and Barnes & Noble . The CEO has already been reviewed in The Sunday Times , The Observer and Financial Times .