Celebrity dish on the menu
Having satisfied their appetite for fame, celebrities frequently turn to setting up their own business. Perhaps the most famous celebrity venture of this kind is the Planet Hollywood chain launched in 1991 by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis. After a few lean months, the venture turned out to be to consumers' tastes and it now has branches in 16 countries.
Warsaw might be far behind Hollywood when it comes to celebs' saturation of the market, but it is no slacker with regard to our stars' entrepreneurial ambitions. Prohibicja, Sense, Maska, Tonic Café, and Artibus - all these places have one or a couple of big names behind them. But a famous face does not necessarily guarantee commercial success. Although it gets a lot of free media attention from day one and, unlike other startups, doesn't have to strive for recognition, there's more to a cult pub or restaurant than the owner's sports or artistic achievements.
Polish tastes
In spite of the fact that the foodservice market in Poland is still underdeveloped and constitutes a mere 30 percent of the same sector in Spain, it is expected to reach a value of EUR 4 (zł.16.8) billion in 2005. Half of its turnover comes from bars, fast-food chains and restaurants. More and more catering firms supply food for offices or hospitals and a growing number of casual dining facilities come into being each time a new shopping center is opened. Thirteen to 14 percent of money spent on food, alcohol and cigarettes by an average Pole goes to the restaurant business.
But even though there is still plenty of room to grow in this sector, new bars and restaurants do not always succeed. Both Dariusz Michalczewski and Przemysław Saleta, famous boxers, had to wind up their clubs because of a lack of customers. However, the two sports stars can take some solace in the fact that the same thing happened to such heavyweights of the entertainment world as Britney Spears and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Elle McPherson.
Different tune
Prohibicja, a chain of piano bars launched by some of the most-wanted film stars in Poland, Bogusław Linda, Marek Kondrat, Zbigniew Zamachowski and Wojciech Malajkat, didn't do quite that bad, but is undergoing some major changes at the moment, including the withdrawal from the business of two of the four shareholders: Zamachowski and Malajkat. The original idea faltered somewhat and after a couple of years the actors decided to opt more for the quality of food and wine, selected by Kondrat himself from vineyards all over the world, rather than rely on their macho-men image created by the media.
"People seem to think that opening a restaurant is something anyone can do, when in fact it is not so," says Krzysztof Czerkas, Director of the Commercial Credits Department in Rheinhyp-BRE Bank Hipoteczny SA. "Granting a loan for that kind of an undertaking is considered pretty safe when the client has thorough experience in the catering business or cooperates closely with such persons. And of course one has to bear in mind the division of our country into the so-called Poland A, with the biggest cities such as Warsaw, Kraków or Wrocław, and Poland B, covering the poorer regions. Location is essential."
Managing success
Tennis ace Wojciech Fibak and Jacques Tourel put the success of their restaurant, Artibus, down to good management. "Of course the famous people attract the crowd," says Tourel, "but at the end of the day, it's the management that counts, like in any other business. In Artibus you can always expect excellent food and impeccable service. Many celebrities come over just to exchange gossip or talk to acquaintances but they are always sure to receive a warm welcome and excellent value for their money."
Cooking with passion
Another well prospering place, Tonic Café, belongs to actor Jarek Jakimowicz. It was originally targeted at younger customers but for the last two months it has also offered lunches for business people. According to Łukasz Tręda, manager of Tonic Café, the place owes its popularity as much to the famous owner as to his interest in the place: "[Jakimowicz] comes over very often and so do his well-known mates. But most importantly, he selects his own music. He plays brand new pieces he brings from Barcelona when no hot spot in Warsaw has heard of them yet. This is why people like to nip into Tonic Café before heading off to bigger clubs."
About two months ago, Piotr Najsztub, editor-in-chief of Przekrój magazine, set up his own bistro in co-operation with Dominika Krzemińska, former chef of the famous Domova restaurant. "I didn't want a big place. Cooking is just something I do on a daily basis and love to do as well. And as I never managed to save any money for the future and there are of course fat and lean years in every journalist's career. I thought I might learn to do something new and gather some funds for my old age pension if everything goes fine," explains Najsztub.
The launching of Przegryź required an investment of around zł.120,000 and the owners are hoping to break even in July. Najsztub prepares two dishes himself - a broth and duck.
"It is not a celebrity's whim. I don't want people to come to Przegryź because of me but because of the home-like, delicious food. Cooking is a passion, it relaxes me," he said.
Launching one's own club or restaurant seems an ever-fashionable business among celebrities. But if they haven't got a whole lot of money to spare, a good business plan or a reliable partner, they may be biting off more than they can chew.
Warsaw might be far behind Hollywood when it comes to celebs' saturation of the market, but it is no slacker with regard to our stars' entrepreneurial ambitions. Prohibicja, Sense, Maska, Tonic Café, and Artibus - all these places have one or a couple of big names behind them. But a famous face does not necessarily guarantee commercial success. Although it gets a lot of free media attention from day one and, unlike other startups, doesn't have to strive for recognition, there's more to a cult pub or restaurant than the owner's sports or artistic achievements.
Polish tastes
In spite of the fact that the foodservice market in Poland is still underdeveloped and constitutes a mere 30 percent of the same sector in Spain, it is expected to reach a value of EUR 4 (zł.16.8) billion in 2005. Half of its turnover comes from bars, fast-food chains and restaurants. More and more catering firms supply food for offices or hospitals and a growing number of casual dining facilities come into being each time a new shopping center is opened. Thirteen to 14 percent of money spent on food, alcohol and cigarettes by an average Pole goes to the restaurant business.
But even though there is still plenty of room to grow in this sector, new bars and restaurants do not always succeed. Both Dariusz Michalczewski and Przemysław Saleta, famous boxers, had to wind up their clubs because of a lack of customers. However, the two sports stars can take some solace in the fact that the same thing happened to such heavyweights of the entertainment world as Britney Spears and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Elle McPherson.
Different tune
Prohibicja, a chain of piano bars launched by some of the most-wanted film stars in Poland, Bogusław Linda, Marek Kondrat, Zbigniew Zamachowski and Wojciech Malajkat, didn't do quite that bad, but is undergoing some major changes at the moment, including the withdrawal from the business of two of the four shareholders: Zamachowski and Malajkat. The original idea faltered somewhat and after a couple of years the actors decided to opt more for the quality of food and wine, selected by Kondrat himself from vineyards all over the world, rather than rely on their macho-men image created by the media.
"People seem to think that opening a restaurant is something anyone can do, when in fact it is not so," says Krzysztof Czerkas, Director of the Commercial Credits Department in Rheinhyp-BRE Bank Hipoteczny SA. "Granting a loan for that kind of an undertaking is considered pretty safe when the client has thorough experience in the catering business or cooperates closely with such persons. And of course one has to bear in mind the division of our country into the so-called Poland A, with the biggest cities such as Warsaw, Kraków or Wrocław, and Poland B, covering the poorer regions. Location is essential."
Managing success
Tennis ace Wojciech Fibak and Jacques Tourel put the success of their restaurant, Artibus, down to good management. "Of course the famous people attract the crowd," says Tourel, "but at the end of the day, it's the management that counts, like in any other business. In Artibus you can always expect excellent food and impeccable service. Many celebrities come over just to exchange gossip or talk to acquaintances but they are always sure to receive a warm welcome and excellent value for their money."
Cooking with passion
Another well prospering place, Tonic Café, belongs to actor Jarek Jakimowicz. It was originally targeted at younger customers but for the last two months it has also offered lunches for business people. According to Łukasz Tręda, manager of Tonic Café, the place owes its popularity as much to the famous owner as to his interest in the place: "[Jakimowicz] comes over very often and so do his well-known mates. But most importantly, he selects his own music. He plays brand new pieces he brings from Barcelona when no hot spot in Warsaw has heard of them yet. This is why people like to nip into Tonic Café before heading off to bigger clubs."
About two months ago, Piotr Najsztub, editor-in-chief of Przekrój magazine, set up his own bistro in co-operation with Dominika Krzemińska, former chef of the famous Domova restaurant. "I didn't want a big place. Cooking is just something I do on a daily basis and love to do as well. And as I never managed to save any money for the future and there are of course fat and lean years in every journalist's career. I thought I might learn to do something new and gather some funds for my old age pension if everything goes fine," explains Najsztub.
The launching of Przegryź required an investment of around zł.120,000 and the owners are hoping to break even in July. Najsztub prepares two dishes himself - a broth and duck.
"It is not a celebrity's whim. I don't want people to come to Przegryź because of me but because of the home-like, delicious food. Cooking is a passion, it relaxes me," he said.
Launching one's own club or restaurant seems an ever-fashionable business among celebrities. But if they haven't got a whole lot of money to spare, a good business plan or a reliable partner, they may be biting off more than they can chew.
