Gheorghe Popa, franchised 5 to go Bucureștii Noi, turned his cafe into a family business. We find out together why they chose 5 to go and how the management of their own business changed their lives.
Although he wanted to start a family business since he lived with his family in Cluj, Gheorghe never found the right moment: “The idea of opening a family business has long been on my mind. I analyzed various business possibilities, including opening a cafe, I made plans, calculations, but always something determined me to postpone the moment. “
It was his daughter, Beatrice, who convinced him that it was time to embark on the path of entrepreneurship. Thus, they reunited their family in Bucharest and started to make their business plan: “I presented to my daughter the business ideas I had over time, the advantages and risks I identified. Thus, we came to the conclusion that a cafe would be a family business that would suit us and in which we could all be involved, and the idea was embraced by the rest of the family. “
Even though he left Cluj, Gheorghe always considered that in our country he has all the necessary resources and can put into practice what he wanted: “The idea of promoting Romanian products and local entrepreneurship delighted us and we wanted to support them by getting involved in a business that was created and developed in Romania.”
Having no experience in the HoReCa area and not knowing exactly where to start, the franchise concept was exactly what they needed: “Studying the franchise possibilities on the market, I came to the conclusion that the 5 to go franchise is the most appropriate. The meeting with the 5 to go representatives was decisive for us. I left the meeting with Lucian convinced that this is what we need to do. Moreover, in our neighborhood there was no other cafe and thus, 5 to go Bucureștii Noi was born. ”
After choosing a welcoming, warm and bright space in which customers can feel comfortable, nothing stopped them: “I learned new things about the fascinating world of coffee, about what it means to be a barista, about recipes, about how much it matters customer interaction and how you can grow your business through different strategies. We have learned to have more patience, tolerance, to overcome ourselves every day. We always tried to keep in touch with each other, those in the bar and those outside it, to form a team. ”
They managed to overcome the challenges of the pandemic together, working as a team and they are happy to see an evolution of their business every day: “We are glad that most of our customers are satisfied and come back, and the number of those who cross our threshold grows almost daily. “
Because the way they greet their customers once they cross the threshold of the cafe is very important to them, they recently decorated the cafe in the spirit of Christmas: “Social distancing and the mask, along with the announcement that the Christmas fairs will no longer be organized, we wish to offer customers, in those few moments spent with us, a fairytale atmosphere generating calm and well-being. ” So, even under the conditions imposed by social distancing, they continue to keep in touch with customers, their work being “more than just selling and serving a product.”
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