|
Doreen
Pendgracs |
Business / Entrepreneurship Samples: HARD
WORK AND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT TURNED DREAM INTO REALITY© John and Bobbie Schiop escaped Romania's communist regime, heading for Winnipeg, Manitoba and the chance to build their dream. "We really appreciate the freedom we have as Canadians," says John. "We took out our Canadian citizenship soon after coming here and would never want to leave." The Schiops take this statement quite literally. Since coming to Canada (John in 1984 and Bobbie in 1985), the couple has only taken one week of vacation time. "I tried to escape Romania and failed," says Bobbie who ended up behind bars for several days when her escape attempt failed. "Then John's escape was successful and he was able to bring me over to Canada." For the past three years, John and Bobbie have duo-handedly operated Bobbie's Restaurant, situated a few minutes from downtown Winnipeg. They have no staff, doing the food planning, purchasing, preparation, serving and cleanup themselves. The restaurant is situated on the main floor of their two-storey home and is licensed for 32 diners. The Schiops residence is on the second floor of the 115-year-old refurbished dwelling. "We've lived here ever since 1987, always having the vision that we would turn the place into a restaurant," says John. "It was Bobbie's dream." John says Bobbie's perseverance and entrepreneurial spirit were the key elements in turning dream into reality. At times, the odds were
definitely stacked against them. "When we bought the property, we'd
advised the real estate agent of our plans, but he wasn't up front with
us. We knew nothing about zoning by-laws and the difficulties we'd be
facing with city authorities. "This didn't work for us, as we were only licensed to serve food to overnight guests," says John. "City officials closed us down for a month because we didn't have the proper permit. We'd spent nearly $40,000 in renovations and supplies and couldn't operate!" The Schiops approached the residents of their street and were able to collect 60 letters of support. After presenting the letters to city council, the previous ruling was overturned, and Bobbie's was able to operate as a fulltime restaurant. "Most of our customers come from closeby -- Winnipeg and surrounding areas. We don't do any advertising whatsoever, so all of our business is generated by word of mouth." The Schiops say 80 per cent of their business is repeat clientele. "It's important to quickly learn the likes and dislikes of your customers. We learned that the majority of callers were asking for non-smoking tables when calling for a reservation, so we have chosen to make our restaurant a completely smoke-free establishment," says John. The restaurant is tastefully decorated with Bobbie's own art. She is an accomplished painter. Many customers visit Bobbie's for the signature entree -- Chicken Dracula, a feast blending the delicate flavour of chicken with a very potent garlic sauce, a culinary secret John learned during his days as a chef in Romania. "We use only fresh, good quality ingredients," says Bobbie. "There's nothing canned in our kitchen." A selection of fine European wines openly displayed throughout the dining area helps tempt guests into purchasing a special vintage to complement their meals. Serving 500-600 meals per month keeps the Schiops very busy. Rising at 9:00 a.m. provides ample time to prepare for the weekday lunch crowd. Closing from 2:30 until 5:30 p.m. provides a brief break and time to prepare for dinner guests. The restaurant is open everyday except Sunday until 11:00 p.m., but most guests are gone by 10:00 p.m., enabling John to catch up on paperwork while Bobbie cleans up the kitchen. The Schiops perform like a well-tuned instrument. "I think it is our European upbringing that so easily enables us to combine work, play and family life. That is the way most people live in small European communities." The couple, now in their early 50's, married within a week of meeting and have been together, basically day and night for 30 years -- except for the separation they had to endure while John attempted to arrange Bobbie's entry to Canada ... page 2.
|
||
|
