Gina Luari was born within the restaurant business.
She emigrated to the United States as a 6-year-old from Albania, where her family owned a restaurant. In Connecticut, her father got a job at a small cafe and then acquired it a decade later and recruited Luari.
"I was doing everything from being a host to a server to a dishwasher," she explained. "I've always been immersed in the restaurant business. It's always been a part of who I am."
Luari made the switch from restaurant employee to entrepreneur in 2016 when she founded The Place 2 Be, a brunch establishment. Since then, she's opened three more sites, with a fifth set to open this month, recruited more than 200 people, and earned more than $6.8 million in revenue.yearly net revenues in 2021, according to documents confirmed by Insider.
Despite her family's restaurant background, Luari chose a different professional route after college: she served as the executive director of the Rocky Hill Chamber of Commerce, where she assisted small, local businesses in scaling up. She saw a hole in the downtown Hartford brunch industry and saw it as a business opportunity.
She rented her first restaurant location when she was 24 years old. Her mother was forced to sign the documents because the landlord believed she was too young, according to her.
The entrepreneur, now 31, spoke with Insider about her growth strategies and how she was able to stand out in the food industry by maintaining a growth mindset and consistent branding.Luari never had impostor syndrome when she created and expanded her enterprises, which she considers to be one of her greatest qualities. When she started The Place 2 Be, she realised there were parts of entrepreneurship she didn't understand — and she still does. She is convinced, though, that she will be able to uncover the answers to her problems via trial and error.
For example, as she prepared to launch her first location, she drew on her chamber experience to choose the best course of action. She obtained a $26,000 line of credit, formed her LLC, applied for a liquor licence, established her payroll, selected point-of-sale software, and designed her menu.
"There are two things you never get back.""The most essential things in life are time and opportunity," she says, adding that it's critical for new business owners to move quickly through their launches.The Place 2 Be is known for its unique branding, including rubber ducks in drinks and colorful, over-the-top brunch plates, which customers regularly snap and share with their social-media followers. That's not an accident, Luari said.
She aimed to create an experience that people wanted to be a part of and share, which she achieved through her food and interior design.
The first step in the business branding was working with a graphic designer to create the logo and develop the printed menus, she said. Then, she hired a local artist to paint murals on the walls. She also scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony — something she'd spent a lot of time doing at the chamber — to ignite local interest in the business.
"I wanted to transform the space into something that would be a place where I would want to hang out," she said.
She also installed a green wall and swinging chairs so visitors experienced "picture moments" in the space that they would likely share on social media, she added. Lastly, she invested in dinnerware, glassware, and drink vessels that would surely photograph well.
"All of those factors really helped elevate and create the brand," Luari said.
Navigate tough times by investing in growth
While 17% of US restaurants closed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Luari invested more time and money in social media and marketing. The tactic brought in a new crowd of customers, she said.
"I wanted to transform the area into a location where I would like to hang out," she explained.
She also created a green wall and swinging chairs to provide guests "picture moments" in the room that they would likely share on social media. Finally, she purchased china, glasses, and drink containers that would undoubtedly photograph nicely.
"All of those aspects contributed significantly to the brand's elevation and creation," Luari added.
Invest in growth to get through difficult times.
During the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic, 17% of US restaurants shuttered, while Luari devoted more time and money in social media and marketing. According to her, the strategy attracted a new group of clients.
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