First time restaurant owner shares her experience

Opening a restaurant is not easy, so when it comes to doing it in an unknown environment and introducing different flavours this task becomes much more complicated.

Awah Gentry, chef and co-owner of Native Cave explains her adventure. Native Cave is an Afro-Carribean restaurant that opened in July 2023, in the city of Newcastle.

It specializes in African and Caribbean flavours. Awah explains she had a budget of £10,000 but they quickly exceeded this limit and invested over £35,000.

Awah Gentry said : “ We spent over £35,000 in renovations, and there’s still so many things to do, like the bathroom. We change the bar, the one who was there was smaller.”

Regardless of that, they made it possible and opened their doors to the public.

“There were days where we won’t make any sales, this place will be empty. But then we became viral thanks to instagram and our lobster.”

“Due to its high demand, we had to make changes to our menu. Our crab used to be smaller and it was £30 but now we found a balance and improved its quantity, for a much bigger one you pay £45 for a single plat.”

Native Cave as well as other establishments was touched by the recession of 2023, and but they were able to keep their doors open.

Awah said: “The business pays for itself, with the profit made we can pay the staff and more, so when we don’t sell no profits are made.”