Business experts disagree about the benefits of working as a family. Some say that family businesses are more likely to succeed. Others say that family businesses do not create new ideas and are likely to fail over time. Here, one family explains how it works for them.
Elena – mother
I was really pleased when my father asked for some help in his restaurant. The business needs a reliable manager and I’m good with money. Unlike the rest of the family, I’m quite shy, so working in the office suits me very well. In fact, working here really suits us all. Agustin welcomes the customers and organizes the tables. Mariana is an imaginative chef, and very confident. She thinks she’s the leader, but, of course, I disagree. My father is planning to retire next year, but even when he has left the kitchen, the restaurant will still be his “baby”.
Vincente – grandfather
Elena is a great manager. She’s good with money and very patient, which is important when there are creative people around. I’m the head chef and my eldest grandchild, Mariana, works with me in the kitchen. We are very different personalities who share a love of food! I don’t like to plan meals ahead of time. I go to the market early in the morning and see what is good. Then I go back to the kitchen and decide the menu for the day. Mariana says I’m disorganized and that our menu is too traditional, but I say this is the best way to cook. If something is working, why change it?
Mariana – Elena’s oldest child
I love working with my grandfather. He knows everything about the traditional food from this region of Spain. But he isn’t very interested in new ideas. Right now, I’m developing some new meals which are low in salt and sugar. Grandad doesn’t think that’s a very good idea, and I don’t want to upset him, so I try not to talk about it all the time. Agustin agrees with me, though. He’s a great ‘maitre d’ — he knows all about the menu, including the wine, and he is so sociable and outgoing. It’s the perfect job for him!
Agustin – Elena’s youngest child
I was worried because I can be bossy, but actually, we haven’t had any family arguments. Mariana has big plans for the restaurant and I know we will succeed. At the moment, our customers are mostly people from our city. I know that because I talk a lot to them. But when Mariana changes the menu, we will have customers from all over the region. The worst thing about this business is the long days. We work until late, and I stand up for hours and hours. Sometimes, I don’t want to smile anymore!