René Dost - The man behind the Redo XXL restaurants

Having grown up in a family of restaurateurs, René Dost, better known as Redo, has always enjoyed German snack food and understood the unifying power of hearty, everyday food. He trained as a restaurant specialist and chef in the former GDR, preparing to take over the family business. Then the fall of communism not only brought democratic freedom to that part of Germany but also led to major changes in many people’s lives. For René Dost, it was an opportunity for self-determination and ultimately success. And so, in 1991, he bought a food truck in Potsdam. Very soon, he bought another, and just five years later, aged 21, he founded his own catering and event service business, which perfectly captured the spirit of the time. In the years that followed, René Dost built a business empire with 38 divisions, over 200 employees and an annual turnover of 20 million: the Redo group of companies. Today, the company’s portfolio includes cafés, bars, burger joints, XXL Restaurants, an events venue, an ice cream factory, a food truck fleet and even its own catering academy.

René Dost focuses on the XXL concept

The concepts of the restaurateur from Potsdam are unique, and that’s just how he likes it. ‘You need a unique selling point to stand out from the competition. This can be unusual foods or a crazy story about your business,’ says the 54-year-old. His XXL Restaurants are a good example. As the name suggests, René Dost serves everything in extra-large portions, from burgers and schnitzels to pasta. Unlike his competitors, the restaurateur focuses not just on size but also on taste. And this strategy is so popular that Redo XXL now has seven locations across Germany. Proof enough that Dost’s unique approach is working.

METRO customer since day one

Back when he had his very first food truck, René Dost starting shopping at the METRO store, which was in Berlin-Marienfelde at the time. He still enjoys visiting the store for inspiration, but now it’s the one in Berlin-Schönefeld. But that’s not all – He uses the METRO delivery service for all his businesses, and even his merchandise management system is directly linked to METRO. He particularly values his friendly relationship with Daniel Klandt, the store manager of the METRO store in Schönefeld. Daniel Klandt has been advising him since 2018. ‘I can always call Daniel and he will do everything he can to make things possible for us.’ René Dost laughs as he remembers the time he ran out of goods for a large catering order, and Daniel Klandt opened the store for him on a Sunday.

René Dost's future plans and secret of success

Standing still is not part of René Dost’s vocabulary and he is constantly learning. The restaurateur understood the importance of digitalisation early on and has steadily incorporated it into his company. Switching to digital cash register systems, largely going cashless and using intelligent financial management systems enabled René Dost to keep an eye on his business figures at all times. This allows him to react to changes almost in real time and keep up with the latest sales developments. One topic that is currently of particular interest to him is Artificial intelligence (AI). "I am convinced that AI will also have a decisive influence on the future of gastronomy, be it through individualised chatbots or AI-supported restaurant capacity forecasts," he says. The multi-restaurateur plans to step back from daily operations in the future and focus more on developing new ideas and concepts. He believes a restaurant can only succeed if there’s passion. ‘After all, restaurateurs don’t just sell food and drink; they sell emotions and special moments.’