Two chefs are better than one
In a tiny blue house on a very busy street, there's an awful lot of business going on.
By day, the renovated bungalow on Portland's Brighton Avenue is the Blue House Cafe, a small breakfast and lunch bistro; at night, the building is home to a separate business, Francisco's at the Blue House Cafe. The restaurants are distinct - each has its own chef/owner - but they are connected in many ways due to the simple fact that they share space.
It's a unique relationship that benefits both Dirk Yeaton, who owns the Blue House Cafe and the property, and Dave Mallari, owner of Francisco's. Mallari's lease helps Yeaton cover his fixed costs, a plus for anyone trying to run a small business. On the other side, Mallari can use the physical space and equipment and not have to deal with the potentially hefty startup costs of opening a new restaurant.
"A kitchen is just the most frightfully expensive thing to set up," said Meriby Sweet, director of the Maine Small Business and Technology Development Center at the Maine Technology Institute. "From an economic standpoint, this is brilliant."
There are challenges specific to this type of dual-personality business arrangement, of course. Diners sometimes don't recognize that the two restaurants are separate. And adjusting the insurance policies was a challenge because of the unique space-sharing nature of the lease.
But the challenges are minor in light of how well things are going, Mallari and Yeaton said.
External Source - For the complete article click here
Source - Portland Press Herald
It's a unique relationship that benefits both Dirk Yeaton, who owns the Blue House Cafe and the property, and Dave Mallari, owner of Francisco's. Mallari's lease helps Yeaton cover his fixed costs, a plus for anyone trying to run a small business. On the other side, Mallari can use the physical space and equipment and not have to deal with the potentially hefty startup costs of opening a new restaurant.
"A kitchen is just the most frightfully expensive thing to set up," said Meriby Sweet, director of the Maine Small Business and Technology Development Center at the Maine Technology Institute. "From an economic standpoint, this is brilliant."
There are challenges specific to this type of dual-personality business arrangement, of course. Diners sometimes don't recognize that the two restaurants are separate. And adjusting the insurance policies was a challenge because of the unique space-sharing nature of the lease.
But the challenges are minor in light of how well things are going, Mallari and Yeaton said.
External Source - For the complete article click here
Source - Portland Press Herald
