Full Meal - From Business Strategist To Restaurant Owner - What it’s really like to launch a restaurant: Chuku’s

Most people who think of quitting their day job will tell you how they want to launch a restaurant or cafe. It sounds like an idyllic life, serving up great food to appreciative customers all while being your own boss. 

We all know that the reality of running a restaurant couldn’t be further from the truth. And to take the leap, as siblings Emeka and Ifeyinwa Frederick did in February 2020, is an epic story of triumph over adversity.  

Emeka’s journey is not so straightforward as walking out of work one day and launching into Chuku’s, a Nigerian Tapas restaurant in North London, the next. Emeka shares the truth about how long it really takes to get a restaurant off the ground. And to do so with rave reviews - including from The Guardian’s Grace Dent - to keep that momentum going through the hardest of times for our industry. 

We chat about the challenges you can face that no one warns you about when launching a restaurant, and why you have to work hard to be taken seriously. Emeka tells his story about how Chucku’s grew from his first attempt at a pop-up in 2016, which didn’t go to plan, through to multiple other business models and ideas that eventually bloomed into Chuku’s. 

Emeka and Ifeyinwa saw each step as a learning opportunity that would develop over the years, becoming more immersed in the industry and gaining more knowledge about what you really need to have a successful restaurant that stands the test of time. 

Emeka also explains why creating a community around your business is vital to its ongoing success. He touches on leveraging social media but also building those relationships with customers. And why this is vital to breathe life into a restaurant.

Plus, we’ll be chatting about Nigerian food, the flavours, presentation and heritage that is central to Chuku’s. This is one mouth-watering episode that will leave you hungry for more. 

At the end of this episode you will know: 

• Everything you need to know about launching a restaurant
• What happens when you work with family
• How to take a leap from employment to running your own business
• Why you need to immerse yourself in the industry before attempting your own thing
• Why you need a community around you
• How you can be inspired by your heritage to develop a solid concept
• What it’s really like to quit your job and launch a restaurant 

Find out more about Chuku’s here: https://www.chukuslondon.co.uk/

I've selected some of the best bits from this full episode or as I call it, the 'meal' and created some podcast 'snacks' & 'nibbles' if you're short on listening time.