In the northwest side of Spain, we have a hardworking chef David from A Coruña, who started his entrepreneurial journey cooking in 5-star hotels. Due to the stress of such labor, he decided to quit everything to find a place and especially the time to cook for love and work enough. Let’s see how such a transition, the restaurant “Casaperucho” came to exist.

What is your business about and how did you start?

My business was a life-changing decision. I used to work as an executive in five-star hotels and similar places, managing a large team and dealing with a heavy workload. I wanted a change and tried to find a less demanding job, like being a cook or something simpler, but nobody would hire me. I kept searching and found a restaurant near an industrial area where I could work from Monday to Friday and change my lifestyle, from working 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, having evenings and weekends off, and doing what I love, cooking.

That was the beginning of my journey. It took me a long time to figure out how to make this lifestyle change because working conditions in the hospitality industry are tough – only one day off per week, standing for long hours, and dealing with a lot of stress.

Do you think your skills have improved during that transition?

In terms of management, it was something I already had experience in, you know? Managing kitchens with 15 cooks under my supervision prepared me well. However, in this new venture, I had to step back to take two steps forward. Previously, I focused on more gourmet cuisine, but now I cook homestyle dishes using everyday techniques. As a result, my stress levels have decreased significantly.

When did you start?

We started in March and have been open for five months. We are very happy with the progress, serving an average of 90 meals daily. We still need to renovate a bit since some parts are quite old; the tables, for instance, date back to 1995.

What is the core value of your restaurant?

Cooking with love and providing excellent service. Since the beginning, I aimed to offer good working conditions to my staff – working mornings from Monday to Friday. These excellent conditions have made the team happy and motivated to work well in the restaurant. Our philosophy revolves around providing dignified working conditions.

How did you discover Loyverse, and what are your favorite features?

My brother, a programmer who develops programs for hospitals, introduced me to Loyverse. He found it on Google and thought it would be perfect for my restaurant. We really like the reasonable cost of Loyverse, which has been a tremendous help in starting up, especially compared to other expensive programs. The features are user-friendly, such as sending orders, generating sales reports, and managing employee tasks for the waiters.

What advice would you give to those who want to start a restaurant?

I would advise them to research and crunch the numbers thoroughly. I did a lot of calculations and, even with 15 years of experience, made some mistakes. Step by step, I adjusted the numbers and carefully managed expenses to ensure success.