How did you end up running a restaurant after 35 years in international B2B?

Reinventing your career This is our business card holder.

And the question: "How did you end up running a restaurant after 35 years in international B2B?" Professionally, I had never worked in the restaurant industry until about two years ago. I used to work in market research with a particular group called JFK, which is a large German market and other fields research company.

But on the other hand, I've always been interested in cooking and in the restaurant industry.

I'm from Lyon, where people have a real passion for good food and fine cooking.

As did my family too.My friends go out to eat at a restaurant once a month.

In addition, I'm vice president of an association called Union des Français de l'Étranger,where, among other things, I organize banquets, Christmas dinners, gala dinners and other events throughout the year.

So, my group of friends, which I call "the Bon Vivants" and I once went to a new French restaurant called Allégorie.

I should say that I had already cooked for my friends, and they knew I had a refined palate, so to speak. Many of them used to tell me,"You should open a restaurant." I didn't feel like being in the kitchen from ten in the morning until midnight.

So, I wasn't very keen on opening just any restaurant with just any chef.

When we went to try Allégorie's menu, which was located down an alley we found an excellent menu from an excellent chef and we really enjoyed it.

After the meal, we had a long conversation with the chef.

I stayed on after my friends had left to continue our conversation.

We really got along well.With my club, called UFE, Union des Français de l'Étranger,I organized a dinner for forty people at his small restaurant.

At the end of that successful dinner,I said to him and it was April:"In September, I'm counting on you for the UFE welcome party." And he said: "In September I won't be here anymore,I hardly have any customers." I didn't like that, because I wanted to keep eating at that restaurant.

Since everyone kept telling me: "You should open a restaurant," and I was tired of the profession I had been in for 35 years,I saw the opportunity to end my career doing something I enjoyed more, helping Romain Lascalides,my chef and partner, to grow, while keeping something for myself and for everyone.

The restaurant aims to be a kind of embassy in Madrid, as it is practically the only one there, perhaps the only one.

Knowing that the restaurant was about to close,we talked.

There were a few things DREMA had to do to conclude its first stage.

Then, from June on, we started negotiating the terms of our collaboration.

In the end, I own 80% of the company's shares.In July, we began looking for a new venue, because the first one wasn't working well.

At the beginning of August, we found a place I already knew that suited us,as I had organized banquets and cooking competitions there when it used to be another restaurant called Atelier Belge.

I knew the place well and was happy to come across it again.

He was happy with the venue, especially with the kitchen,which was well equipped.

The dining area is lovely, and there's a bar downstairs where you can have a drink as well as eat.

So, we took this place.There were some issues between the person transferring the venue to us and the property owner.

After a while to reach an agreement, we signed in October.

We did a little renovation so we could open quickly as we were running short on time.

On November 22nd, 2023, we opened the restaurant,nearly a year and a half ago.- It was the chef.

The Allégorie chef had a company called La Raison Gourmande.

It was a sole proprietorship.He was the 100% owner of the business.

What we did was that I kept 80% at the beginning and he gave up his debt with the company, since he had invested his own money.

But obviously, I couldn't take on that debt.That's how we made it work.

He's still the chef today.He owns 20% of the company, and he's very important to us Everything revolves around the chef.

The cuisine is very distinctive.If there were another chef, it would be a different restaurant.

The chef and his cooking are truly essential.I'll mention other things that are also very important,but he is the center of the restaurant.