A restaurant is serious business and a rich experience in Russia. It is a place where food culture is highly treasured, but the taste of cosmopolitans is constantly changing. Your business is not a business but a ticket to a land of warm and generous hospitality, what the Russians refer to as gostepriimstvo. The journey is covered with its own share of obstacles and challenges, and it requires not only a solid business strategy but also a sincere understanding of the local pace of life.
Soul of your Stolovaya: Idea and subtlety
The first and most important question you need to ask yourself before you start thinking about permits or where to open your restaurant is What story will your restaurant tell? The Russian restaurant culture is an interesting conversation between the ancient and the modern. Will you be a contemporary stolovaya with a reinterpretation of canteen classics of the Soviet era with quality and artisanal ingredients? Or maybe a traktir, a homely pub-restaurant with coarse, local fare of all the nationwide? Your idea has to be emotionally appealing. Russians eat nostalgically and celebratively in equal measure.
A business plan should be your anchor in a market which is, in certain ways, unpredictable. Take into consideration the seasonality of spending heavily over the New Year holidays, less so in January. Be careful in your menu costing because the quality of ingredients is the most important factor in your reputation. One of the most important, yet less obvious, steps would be to find a stable supply chain of fresh products, and this could include developing relations with major distributors, as well as smaller speciality fields.
Drudging the paperwork and official labyrinth: registration
This is the stage in which you need patience as your most valuable asset. It is bureaucratic, yet very organised. The first thing to do is to select a legal form, and the most popular one is a Limited Liability Company (OOO – Obshchestvo s Oatvetsnennoy Otvetstvennost’yu) that safeguards your personal property. You are registered in the Federal Tax Service (FTS) and have been issued a unique registration number.
After this, you pass into the world of permits. It is a dance of many steps involving different agencies. Your sanitary and hygiene plans will be approved by Rospotrebnadzor (consumer rights and human well-being watchdog), and your space will be checked to make sure by the State Fire Service (GPO). The whole procedure, i.e. lease sign, getting your final license to sell alcohol (another, perplexing, and time-consuming license) may be similar to a test of your will. Hiring a local counsel or consultant specialising in hospitality is no luxury, but rather a strategic requirement that will save you months of wasted time.
Building your brigade and your brand
Rest assured that with the legal structure in place, you are able to work on making your vision come true. Your employees become the core of the activity. Get a manager who is not only productive, but who has a profound local understanding and network, a svyazi that can help gloss over the most common operating obstacles. This must be a leader in the kitchen who is respected by your chef and who must know the ins and outs of the cuisine of your choice.
The last stage is your soft opening or pre-premier OTVAG. This is your dress rehearsal. Ask a few local food bloggers, journalists and friends. It is not so much a profit-making event as it is a pressure-tested kitchen, staff-training in the front-of-house and creating that most precious of Russian currencies, word-of-mouth. When it comes to generating a buzz, a successful soft launch will be unmatched by paid advertising.
Conclusion
Venturing into the restaurant business in Russia is a massive venture. It requires firmness, cultural sensitivity, as well as unyielding quality dedication. However, the prize is a seat at the table of the nation. It is a clink of glasses at a hearty na zdorovie (to your health), the gratification of a guest when trying a favourite dish in your childhood, and your pride at making a landmark in a city with an illustrious history and a bright future. The trip you will have will not be forgettable. Breathe in and then enjoy the process and be ready to receive your guests.
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