Within seven months, catering entrepreneur Michel Zwart has expanded his number of businesses from two to five. In October 2016, the operator The Black Sheep under his care, but since last April he can also Cantina Mexicana en tapas count as his business. What's his plan?
Zwart said he did not intend to do anything new in 2017, but was surprised by the news that Henri van Wermeskerken had put the two businesses up for sale. His doubts did not last long and the investments were soon complete. The restaurants now operate under the name of Michel Zwart, but the buildings remain the property of Van Wermeskerken.
Good running concepts
When asked whether the new owner likes to get into the business himself, he answers wholeheartedly “Yes! Especially for the atmosphere.” Zwart therefore states that he does not want to change much about the well-running concepts. Cantina Mexicana is known as a beautiful piece of Mexico at the Vismarkt and is very popular among the Groningers. tapas, a successful tapas restaurant, is just behind it on Haddingedwarsstraat. The restaurants are connected by the adjacent roof terraces. Together, the terraces can provide space for about 300 people to dine in the open air.
Changes
Some refurbishment work will be done. There will be some new furniture here and there and the bars and kiosks will be renewed, including a wider beer selection. On the roof terrace of Cantina Mexicana A spacious herb garden is flourishing under the direction of employee Koos with the intention of including even more fresh, home-harvested ingredients in the menu. On Saturdays, guests are most likely to enjoy live music over a Mexican bite.
The businessman also wants to pay extra attention to the websites by means of videos and drone images. “We want to bring the party that we have inside, outside.” According to Black. In addition, he is working on a concept through which he can link his companies and let the guests get acquainted with the other things. One can probably expect a transport service in the form of a cargo bike soon, through which one can quickly reach, for example, via a beautiful route Louis XV of El Txoko could be.
Future
When asked whether Michel Zwart sees himself taking over more businesses in the future, he answers with full conviction: “Yes, absolutely.” Perhaps sooner than we'd expect.
