A ladle of… Expansion at Restaurant Ronja

New trends are constantly shaking up the industry – we track them down. In our series ‘A ladle of...’ we regularly present exciting projects and personalities from the food and gastro scene and discuss what’s shaping the industry. Today, Sinan Bozkurt, owner of Restaurant Ronja, reflects on the challenges of expansion.

MPULSE Series - A ladle
Finding the right location, creating a menu, hiring staff – how Sinan Bozkurt from Restaurant Ronja successfully expanded into a full-fledged restaurant.
Terrace and exterior view of Restaurant Ronja in the Ringlokschuppen

What´s it all about?

  • From veggie food truck to dine-in venue
  • From the decision to the opening
  • Expansion challenges
Sinan Bozkurt, owner of the Ronja restaurant in the Ringlokschuppen and management assistant Jael Meyn
Content:

From veggie food truck to dine-in venue – how did this expansion take shape?

Eight years ago, we were just looking for a suitable location to prepare the meals for our food truck. When we found the small premises in Mülheim’s old town, we initially only intended to use it as a kitchen, not a restaurant. When we first started attending food festivals, we realised that our vegetarian and vegan concept was in high demand because there were few similar options in the area. Shortly after, we set out eleven tables, and the restaurant quickly became a favourite spot for people to meet. The challenge was juggling both business models at the same time. But the restaurant was soon doing so well that we decided to park the food truck.

From the decision to the opening – what were the steps involved?

Once we found our premises, the first thing we did was talk to local residents. We asked them whether they thought a restaurant with our concept would be a good fit for the area. The feedback we received was mostly critical. But with festival season approaching and needing a kitchen, we decided to go for it and rented the premises. Then it was time to start the conversion. We were fortunate to receive a lot of support from family and friends. This was followed by extensive planning: we developed a menu, calculated costs for each dish, planned our regular purchases and sourced the restaurant equipment. We also focused on advertising as much as possible on social media before the opening.
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What challenges did you encounter during the expansion process?

One of the challenges was dealing with the many sceptics. But that also gave us extra motivation. We were determined to show that a vegan and vegetarian concept could work. And it did: the first few days went so well that it was more than the two of us could handle. We needed more staff, but it was difficult to find the right people. Then there was the logistical shift from offering a few select dishes in the food truck to managing a full menu in the restaurant. Our advice to any restaurateur planning to start their own place: don’t underestimate what’s required. Don’t set your start-up and running cost estimates too low. Make sure to allow plenty of time for the preparation phase. And build a strong team.

Sustainable restaurant

Today, Restaurant Ronja in Mülheim’s Ringlockschuppen accommodates 120 guests. They also impressed the jury of the METRO Award for Sustainable Hospitality 2023 with their vegetable garden, ethically sourced workwear and an integrated deposit scheme. Find out more.

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