Gianfranco Colonna - the Italian who took Sibiu’s gastronomy to another level

Blog
03.08.2020
Gianfranco Colonna - the Italian who took Sibiu’s gastronomy to another level
03.08.2020

Few people from Sibiu haven’t yet heard of the restaurant Max. Public figures who arrive in the city post on social media photos of the famous little red car on the terrace, good reviews grow daily and the president of the country himself prefers to eat here. However, probably not all people know who the beautiful man behind this business is. I met Gianfranco Colonna on a Wednesday and he pleasantly surprised me: a cheerful man with a healthy business vision and a desire to serve people impeccably. He told me that there is no exact recipe for success, but I think that the passion to work for people and the good values he transmits to the team make the difference. I invite you to read an inspirational interview with one of the people who have left a solid mark on the HORECA sector in Sibiu.

1. Hello, Mr Gianfranco. I'm glad you agreed to meet me. Why Romania? How did the Italian Gianfranco get to do business here?
In November 1976, I arrived for the first time in Romania, in Bucharest, on an one-week-long trip, a gift from my father. I found a new world, a dark and dull Bucharest. I left thinking that I would never return, but life had surprises in store for me and I returned to do business with handbags. I created handbags also in Italy. I initially produced them in China, and after 1990 I also produced them in the countries of Southeast Europe, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia. In 1996 I arrived also in Romania.
Here I was impressed by the good quality-price ratio, but also by the fact that Romanians have an exceptional talent for manual labor. I realized that it would be an excellent place for production. I was a pioneer, today many famous companies that make handbags are based near Sibiu.
Later I changed the domain and started in HORECA, and in 2004 I opened the first terrace in Piata Mica (Small Square). People used to tell me at that time that I was the crazy Italian who opened in Piata Mica, the area not being of interest. However, Piazzetta was an incredible success, but in 2009 we had to close due to administrative issues regarding the location.
Piazzetta became such a strong brand that, when in 2007 the space on the ground floor was put up for auction, many wealthy people from Sibiu participated and were interested in buying. That's how 90 sqm reached an incredible price - 800,000 euros. I didn't buy it, but later things fell into place, so that today I own the whole building where I really want to continue with Piazzetta, even if now we are running into administrative problems.

2. Is it easier or harder to do business in Romania compared to Italy?
I think that Romania is very similar to Italy, and both are very different from Germany, for example. In Italy and Romania the laws change very quickly and it is a chaotic environment, things are harder to solve. I believe that people who do not follow good procedures are supported, while in other states they act rigorously and there is no room for discussion.

3. Where is HOME, Mr. Gianfranco? In Romania or in Italy?
I come from the Abruzzo region and I studied in the city of Assisi – the most beautiful city in Italy, in my opinion. Later I lived for 20 years near Venice. Italy is my homeland, a country I visit often and where my family lives, but today my home is for me in Romania.

4. The restaurant Max is today among the top restaurants in Sibiu. I know you moved recently. Please tell me more.
That's right, we reopened the restaurant Max in a new location and people tell us that it is more beautiful than before. Max was born in the old location 10 years ago. When I discovered the place it was a bankrupt restaurant. Later, it was closed for a year and a half, and then I took it over from a friend. I asked him to keep its name and for me to take care of the restaurant, and he agreed. At first it was hard, people had a preconception about a restaurant with problems, „where you eat little and pay a lot.” But I continued with a boundless desire: I named it Max by Piazzeta, associating the two establishments, and things were going better and we enjoyed a steady growth. I later registered the Max brand, but we had to move because the first owner is going to open another business there.
Good thing we did that, because the new terrace is bigger, we arranged it nicely and people tell us they like it more (Targul Pestelui St., no. 8). Sometimes even the biggest changes are auspicious.

5. I read the good reviews that the restaurant in Sibiu has and I know that the president of the country himself prefers to eat at Max's when he is in Sibiu. What do you think were the ingredients that placed you detached in the top of the places where people from Sibiu prefer to eat?
We really have many reviews: good, bad, false, we appreciate them all. The problem is that people are not so polite, they make us notice food recipes for example, they are not cooks. We have authentic Italian recipes and we insisted not to Romanianize them, so to speak. Regarding the nomination - the best restaurant in the city - we are happy and at the same time it challenges us to strive even harder and continue to rely on quality. At Max I work with my heart and I want to educate my team in this direction.

I don't think there is a secret to success, there is only passion and the desire to serve people flawlessly. We also insist on uniqueness, on details from Italy, we have a terrace decorated with symbols from Italy. Investments continue at the new location, step by step we want to rearrange and welcome people in a beautiful place, with Italian specifics.

6. Is there a certain dish preferred by the people of Sibiu? Does Max have a statement product? A house specialty?
Of course, customers most often order Italian food. I can say that they prefer pizza and pasta and they often tell us that they taste exactly like the ones they ate in Italy. We always insist on preserving the recipes, cooking with ingredients from Italy and training the staff. For example, I once took a chef to Italy to learn from my mother how to prepare certain dishes.

7. What do you think are the main challenges when running a restaurant?
I think the most difficult thing is to find and train the right people. People often change jobs, are not stable and do not get to train. In our field you have to love what you do, the greatest satisfaction is to have satisfied customers. For example, it is difficult to hire a good manager. Locally, there are no restaurants which train people. We are not engineers, we do not do calculations, we are people dedicated to people. I can't hire a manager from another field, it's not that simple to adapt.
Another challenge is being able to organize the team very well, but to encourage them by power of example to help each other. Everyone knows what they have to do, but at the same time everyone has to help, so that things go well.

8. How important is the team you work with in this business?
The team is not important, the team is everything, it represents the essence of success. I tried to transmit my values to the team, so everyone respects the vision of the company. We have people we replace, but most of them are people who have been with me since the beginning. For example, today actually(15th of July) Maria, one of the ladies in the kitchen, celebrates 9 years since we began our collaboration. We will definitely celebrate.

9. We are experiencing new times which negatively impact the HORECA sector. How much does this affect the businesses you run?
I think the government is really trying to scare us, but I don't think people are that scared. Of course it greatly impacted the field in which we operate, of course there is a virus, but I think we will learn to live with it. We don't wish for people to die, but is it wise to close businesses in the field? Don't those people die, too? Anger, heart attack etc? I don’t want to get into polemics, but I think that the problems that were born after COVID19 are at least as big as those caused by the virus among the people.

10. Can you share some plans for the future?
I am 66 years old and my experience is coming to an end. I have three registered trademarks: Il Gelato di Gianfranco, Piazzeta and Max. I want to carry on the Piazzeta legend, I want to continue the success that Max enjoys today. I want to withdraw from this field leaving a strong footprint. I want to find a person to leave the business to and I want that person to continue it in the spirit I implemented since the beginning. Brand transfer is more than a monthly paid fee. For me, transferring the brand means carrying forward my vision of serving people in an impeccable way.

11. Apart from Max, in what other restaurant in Sibiu would you enjoy eating?
At home :) I'm kidding. I generally like to go out where there is green, to be surrounded by nature. In my spare time I prefer locations outside the city.

12. I have another curiosity: are the vehicles that today accessorize the Max terrace functional?
Both the car on the terrace and the Vespa scooter, the Max symbols, are functional (meanwhile Gianfranco also gave me a demonstration). I start them from time to time, but I don't use them. I prefer our clients to admire them and to imagine the flourishing Italy from the '60s-'70s.

13. On behalf of the New Concept Living team, I thank you very much for this interview. Finally, please pass on a few words both to the people of Sibiu who visit frequently, and to those who have not yet visited Max.
When people see me for the first time, they form an opinion, but after they get to know me better, they change it. I look forward to meeting the people of Sibiu, I hope they like our place. And if there is anything we can do better, let us know, because we appreciate feedback. I wish you all the best!

                                                                                                                                                    Interview with Magdalena Gliga