While the project was originally considered a hobby, the owner now sees the business as a full-fledged one and says, “the restaurants are not directly linked to my giving up banking. There were personal circumstances at play that resulted in my opening the restaurants”.
Patrahau in November 2009 opened El Toro Steakhouse in Cluj-Napoca, with a total investment of EUR140,000. The 250 sqm restaurant has around 120 clients daily and revenue reached some 200,000 lei (around EUR48,000) last month. Around half of the restaurant’s clients currently are foreign citizens, unlike last autumn, when foreigners accounted for two thirds of clients.
One year after opening El Toro, Patrahau thought of a second restaurant in Cluj-Napoca, which should serve fish and seafood. Thus, Pescador was opened mid-April, 2011.
The restaurant has a total surface of 300 square meters, but it also includes a Wine Bar, called Prova. The initial investment reached some EUR250,000.
The restaurant registered sales worth RON110,000 (EUR26,000) in the second month after opening, as this was the first restaurant of its type launched in Cluj-Napoca.
After the April investment, the Cluj entrepreneur does not plan to open any more restaurants in Cluj-Napoca or other areas in the country, saying that a restaurant takes long-term personal involvement and his time is limited. (EUR1=RON4.216)