The actual (and cautious) strategy of Dani García's empire: staying afloat requires the right understanding of expenses, budgets, and market demand.
Cover photo: @EFE
Photo in the piece: Leña Marbella
The opinion
We have always heard “learn the art and put it aside.” However, the admonition of Dani García -blasoned Andalusian chef of international fame- seems to be quite different: “Learn art, but also math.” In a recent interview with Sietes Caníbales the Marbella-born chef, with restaurants all over the world, said, "There is one thing everyone should understand about this profession, whether you are the chef of a Michelin restaurant or a tapas bar you have a huge responsibility. Everything doesn't always go right. You have to try to be as professional as possible, this is an industry that is not professionalized, where almost everything is intuitive. Many people “roll up the shutters on a restaurant” as if it were a makeshift beach kiosk. The restaurant business is about algebra: numbers are a vital issue too often overlooked. In this world, when you address certain topics, you are no longer considered a creative, but I would like to make it clear that I am not an artist; as a cook, I am an entrepreneur with a very complex business where money comes and goes and where there can be big beats.
When you enter the chaos of the international financial world, everything is very cruel. You can win a lot, just as you can lose everything. You always have to consider your responsibilities; art is, in quotes, the least important thing. The ideal, of course, is to achieve a balance between the two aspects". Garcia's is a clear and concrete approach that does not want to downplay the importance of talent and creativity in the hospitality world, but aims to emphasize the need for economic sustainability to survive. A modus operandi that Chef Garcia adopts in the management, but more importantly, in the 'opening of each of his restaurants.
Thus, in the case of the recent opening of Leña in Barcelona, he says, “I didn't open a restaurant in Barcelona first because I didn't feel like it. I think on many occasions it's the feeling that decides. Sometimes you arrive a year and a half or two years later than you should have, that's what happened in Dubai, where things are going great, but we should have opened at least two years earlier. In Barcelona we arrived at the right time. Each city, each country, each restaurant and each brand is a world of its own to be treated individually. It is not enough to say: let's go to Barcelona, but you have to ask yourself: How? With whom? Do we invest? Is someone behind it? There are many elements that have to intertwine...Three years ago in an interview I said I would rather invest in Madrid than in Barcelona, and someone got angry. But that was it. Now is the propitious time to inaugurate Leña there," he explained.
A strategic and well-considered approach that in the most difficult situations has Garcia playing the “Leña token.” “Leña is our safest format. It's like playing defense, it's not an offensive game. It's a very comfortable brand because of the interior design, the ambiance, the menu.... We offer dishes that can appeal to both gourmet diners and those with less interest in food. That's why in difficult situations and important matches we play with Leña." A meticulously researched and, by now, broken-in vision, but one that, at the same time, is extremely versatile to adapt to the demands of each country and market. “If I think about Leña Barcelona and the one in Dubai I can say that they are 80-75% similar, but in Dubai, for example, you cannot cook with alcohol and there are some issues that make it more complex, while in Barcelona for me it is easier. Knowing the environment is crucial to blend in, as well as to stand out.”
There is a lot of enthusiasm and determination for the expansion of the Garcia empire, but the chef's feet always remain firmly on the ground, so when asked, “Will you open more restaurants in Barcelona?” without doubt he replies, “It would be immature to say that I want to open four more restaurants here when I haven't yet tested the fortunes of the first one...The most sensible thing is to open one and if it goes well open another, like we did in Qatar, Marbella or Madrid. Opening restaurants is not like playing Monopoly, it's a much more organic process than it seems."
