Sergey Gasparov: how the restaurant business can survive and increase profits in a pandemic

Maria Sokolova

The restaurateur, owner of the Gask Bro Group chain Sergey Gasparov was able not only to stay afloat during the pandemic, but also to open four new bars.

How he managed to save the business and launch new projects, the businessman said in an interview with Novy Izvestia.

- What is the main secret of the success of your projects in this difficult period for business?

- First of all, I associate this success with my convictions: I set goals, I am rapidly moving towards them, regardless of interference from the outside. Both in business and in everyday life. Overcoming difficulties is another test of strength. And we passed it during the severe restrictions in the pandemic. Government support for catering was a drop in the bucket. Especially in the first wave of restrictions. I had to rely only on myself. Instead of hiding and waiting, I set myself the goal of going into development, rethinking the crisis and feeling it as the best time to leap forward. We started looking for investments, received them, including for new projects, and were also able to agree with the landlords on the deferral of lease payments for existing bars. If we counted only on state aid, which would cover at best 5 percent of the necessary funds, we would not be able to withstand, let alone expand.

- Your colleagues are talking about the crisis in the catering industry associated with a shortage of employees. First of all, employees from neighboring countries who are in no hurry to return to Russia due to the pandemic. Has this problem touched you?

- Of course, the lack of line personnel in the labor market has affected most public catering enterprises. We connected all our existing media platforms, including social networks, strengthened the HR department, attracted external resources - the Hurma group company and intensified the search for employees. It all worked, and even in a situation where we opened three new projects in one month, we managed to resolve the hiring issue.

- In general, how did you organize the work of the team in your institutions during this difficult period? What did you have to change?

- During the period of covid restrictions on the work of bars, revenue fell by 40% -50%. We were faced with the task of preserving the main group of people loyal to us. The main stake was made on them. Those of the newcomers who did not really stick to work, did not take very responsible attitude to our rules, smoothly left us, settling on the delivery platform. With those who stayed with us, we redistributed all responsibilities, increasing the load, and entrusting multifunctionality to each link. This gave the result. We were able to pay all salaries and survive in this time of crisis.

- Do you train young managers / restaurateurs in the course of your work? What qualities and skills do you recommend developing first?

- Of course, we are raising our staff. In most cases, strong and active managers and managers are obtained only from their own employees. Because in the course of their work they are imbued with our values and goals, they begin to understand the subtleties of our approach to business. Learning over a long period of time is one of the most important ingredients for the success of an effective team. I am pleased with our guys who, inside our structure, climb a step higher and take the helm in good hands. We have many stories of bartenders or waiters becoming bar managers, managers, or even bar managers. This is a huge plus for team cohesion and an incentive to go forward with us. People who come from line personnel perform management tasks much better, because they know all the stages of work very well in practice. For example, the manager of our bar Varka, Svetlana, came to work as a waitress, and in just a year of work she reached her current position.

- Were there colleagues, partners who influenced you and your approach to business? Which one of them helped your professional development?

- I always study the experience of successful restaurateurs such as Boris Zarkov, Denis Ivanov, Alexander Rappoport and others. This is a great opportunity to learn a number of subtleties in managing a restaurant business. Cooperation with Valery Lizunov also plays an important role for me, he helps me to make non-standard decisions. In general, Valery has more than 500 completed restaurant projects under his belt. He is already, one might say, a human encyclopedia of our industry. Recently, I have been paying more and more attention to communicating with the business community, sharing experience with colleagues is a serious help for making correct adjustments to my own strategies.

- What else is the secret of a successful business, besides the right choice of people? What are you primarily guided by when creating new projects?

- First of all, you need to 100% believe in the successful implementation of the project, and convey your confidence along with parting words to the whole team. Everything else, as in the primer: A - location, B - concept + design, C - hospitality.

- It's clear with the location and hospitality. Tell us a little more about the concepts of your projects - what is their uniqueness?

- The concept is the most important component of the success of the project. Now there are a lot of faceless establishments, being in which there is nothing to catch hold of, where you cannot feel some peculiarity. When I come up with my own establishments, I always imagine myself as a future guest of my bar and fantasize about what details I would be carried away so that I would love this bar and always return to it again and again.

In the restaurant business, details are important: decorative elements in the interior, a well-thought-out menu, the design of drinks, various creative things, like cocktail coasters with funny phrases - all this evokes positive emotions, is remembered and allows you to talk about the establishment later.

I am sure that one of the main secrets is to make the guest feel at ease, like at home, with close friends. Our project, the Seaman and the Chaika bar, is a vivid example of this ideology.

- Who mainly comes to you? Is this a specific category of visitors? Who are you betting on?

- All our projects are democratic, and we are aimed at a different target audience. Both students and clerks love to spend time with us after the end of the working day.

We are hospitable and always have a friendly environment. Prscco Bar has more elegant guests and an atmosphere that matches the main drink on the menu - sparkling wines. Fans of craft beer come to PARKA - we were one of the first in Moscow who picked up this trend in the northern capital. In the recently opened Plan To Drink, all ranks are comfortable - people are happy to experiment - they try numerous infusions collected in the menu around the world, eat hot dogs and fries with toppings. Nothing bothers people in our bars and everyone finds something for themselves.

- What trends do you see in the restaurant business in Russia and abroad? What are the differences?

- Now is not quite the time for trends. After the restaurant business recovers from the turmoil it has experienced, the most important thing is to stay afloat and maintain quality standards. Generally speaking, I would note that everything smoothly floats towards the marine theme - fresh fish and seafood. People are increasingly adopting this type of diet. Because fish, especially those grown in their natural habitat, are not only tasty, but also very useful for the body. And health is now in the foreground for everyone. Russia has good fish. And it will replace meat pretty soon. This trend comes from the United States, like all major trends in public catering. The country, and even Moscow, is not yet ready for an exclusively vegan story, but the maritime history is increasingly winning the hearts of Russians.

- Your forecast: which catering establishments will survive, and which will face a sad fate?

- These are, first of all, those establishments that hung around zero profitability and were, for restaurateurs, rather an image component. Their lion's share has already ceased to exist, and they will continue to close further. In general, such a format as street food has good prospects. Food markets are good because they offer a variety of food, the quality is higher than that of fast food, plus a reasonable price, which is ideal for people who count money these days.