#266 - Hospitality Meets Eirini Tamousi - The Story of the Restaurant That Opened Without Food

What happens when a morning person who dreams of opening a coffee shop joins forces with a night person who wants a cocktail bar?

Naturally, they rope in their chef mother, add a fiancé with experience in marketing and finance, and open a Greek Mediterranean restaurant together.

This is the story of Eirini Tamousi and Nectar: a family business that took four years, several false starts, disappearing investors and a last piece of finance arriving one day before the deadline to become real.

Then came opening week.

It was, by Eirini’s own account, chaos and in fact her words before we started the chat - "I don't even know where to start"

But amidst the chaos, It was also the beginning of something rather special.

We Cover

Falling into hospitality while studying in EdinburghLeaving the industry for corporate HR, and missing its energyCombining one family’s very different skillsTrying repeatedly to secure the money to open NectarReceiving the final finance one day before the deadlineProtecting a family relationship while building a family businessThe danger of expecting people to know when you need helpOpening a restaurant without a working fryer or grillAsking neighbouring businesses whether they had seen your binsWhy honesty during a disaster can build customer loyaltyReaching more than 300 five star reviews in the first yearCreating a restaurant that feels less like a venue and more like home

Quotables

“We were living it without actually knowing if it was going to work out.”

“People don’t know what’s in your head, funny enough. Unless you tell them.”

“You told me there’s no food, but I can have alcohol.”