Snamen by the holding of Alife Nino in April, the Irajá group, created by chef Pedro de Artagão, owes its fame, mainly, to the Queen Boteco. The first unit of the bar was inaugurated in the first truce of quarantine, in July 2020. Then came the queen tavern, the princess bar and the queen chicken. And there is still Irajá Redux, only with units in malls, derived from the extinct Irajá Gastrô, the celebrated authorial restaurant of Artagão.
With the sale to Alife Nino, which holds brands such as Boteco Boa Square and Nino Cucina, the chef became a minority partner of everything and began to run the kitchens of all bars and Irajá Redux. Given the strength of the Irajá Group, it is to imagine that he customs swimming in a stroke in gastronomic festivals, which have multiplied in Brazil in recent and years and seem to have come to stay.
This is the case of Rio Gastronomia, promoted by the newspaper O Globo. “In this year’s edition, we earned about R $ 600 thousand”, boasts Artagão. “Our operation was the second that earned the most, for a difference of $ 10,000.” He adds that the Irajá group was among the first place in the last ten editions of the event. “We always go out in profit, which helps us increase the company throughout the year, and strengthened. Participation, after all, gives relevance to the group and helps keep it in the mouth of the people. ”
In such events, Artagão does not participate with one brand or another, but with a mix of several. In the last Rio Gastronomia, for example, he served the boteco queen’s shrimp pastry, Irajá Cod Rice Redux and a dessert whose recipe reveals for nothing, Irajá Gastrô’s brigadeiro cake. In each edition, from 10,000 to 12 thousand units of this last item are usually sold. “The purpose of our participation is to allow visitors to prove some of our main brands,” summarizes the chef.
With the experience of those who have already set up operations at various events, from Rock in Rio to the show in Rio de Janeiro from the last tour of the duo Sandy and Junior, Artagão designed a special logistics for such occasions – all to shorten the queues and maximize sales . “Usually, the projects create a line for orders and payment and a second for withdrawal,” says the chef. “We don’t. We make everything ready, as well as fast food networks, and deliver the order as soon as the purchase is made. It only works, of course, because our demand is very large. Otherwise, we would compromise the quality. ”
Artagão adds that he does not admit the hypothesis of food to end in such an event. “It can’t happen at all, so we always take more raw materials,” he reveals. “We can’t give a negative image to potential new customers.”
Owner of the Babbo Osteria in Ipanema, chef Elia Schramm is another who has plenty of ownership to talk about gastronomic festivals. For Rio Gastronomia, whose last edition participated, it is only compliments. “It helps bring new audience to the restaurant,” he says. This year, for the first time, Babbo Osteria was present at Rio2C. “It was a test,” says Schramm. “It was a sales success for us, but in the end they were for them.”
The chef takes the opportunity to complain about events that charge 25% to 30% of the revenues of participating restaurants and bars. “When the percentage required by the organizers is within this track, participation will be limited to a marketing action,” he says. “It is impossible to go out with some profit like that, taking into account all the costs of inputs, labor and transport. A rate of about 15% is more reasonable. ”
He has participated in other festivals, such as chefs in the square, in Ipanema, and Gastronomy Without Borders, in São Conrado, and other trendy events, such as the Open River. “The biggest mistake is to participate in events that attract an audience that has nothing to do with that of its restaurants” Schramm concludes.
President of SINDRIO, Rio de Janeiro’s Bars and Restaurant Union, Fernando Blower thinks similarly. “It only makes sense to participate in events that have the same target audience as their establishment,” he advises. “In many cases, after all, it is mainly a brand exhibition, which can be very advantageous in the medium term. But as long as you connect with the right audience. ” Blower is also aware of the importance of detailed analysis of costs and gains, which are not always financial. “It is necessary to account for a portion of extraordinary expenses, either with rental of equipment or with the hiring of extra employees,” he argues. “And it is important to keep in mind that it does not always profit from such events and that, for very small enterprises, the account may not close.”
The participation of the carioca unit of the Portuguese Rancho in this year’s edition of Rio Gastronomia yielded R $ 216 thousand to the restaurant. “We had a small profit margin, but it was very worthwhile,” says Aragão de Melo, general manager of the address, which served items such as cod to Gomes de Sá and Rice of Pato. “It’s a successful way to expand the restaurant’s clientele in everyday life.” He only regrets the fact that he rained on one of the event’s weekends. “Hence the movement plummeted,” he recalls. “But it was bad for everyone.”
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Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
