We were lucky to catch up with Dmytro Bondarenko recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dmytro, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I worked as a law clerk at a small law office in Brooklyn prior to getting into the hospitality industry. It was long hours and stressful. Most importantly, there is no room for creativity.

After the experience in the legal field, I stumbled upon working as a delivery driver and then a waiter at an Italian restaurant. These experiences allowed me to develop great social skills and customer interaction. It was then I discovered my passion in foods. Now running my own crepe store, it is a 24/7 job. It is a lot of responsibility. I have to make sure we have all the inventory for the store to run. I have employees that need the hours. I have to make sure all equipments are working properly for safety reasons.

However, the business provides room for my creativity. I am constantly thinking of ways to run the business smoother, constantly trying out new menu items and new kitchen equipments. I am in control of my own schedule, and my efforts are directly reflected in my sales. Although it is a lot of work, I am definitely happier as a business owner.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an immigrant from Ukraine. When I first came to the United States, I studied law in hopes of becoming an attorney. However, after having worked at a law office, I realized it is not what I am passionate about. I enjoy making foods and exploring new menu. I love talking to customers about foods as it brings out a lot of different culture. When I decided I want to run my own business, I knew I wanted to be in the hospitality industry. When I was young, my grandmother used to make crepes all the time. It is a simple home meal that everyone should be able to enjoy. And I wanted to bring that to the community. At my store I serve fresh crepes made to order. We add fresh fruits and ice cream to top it off. I believe in good and fresh ingredients, and therefore I spend the time everyday to buy fresh fruits. I make sure we use the best ingredients so that my customers can enjoy delicious and fresh treats.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first bought the business from the previous owner, it was agreed that he will train me and provide me with the recipe for making the crepes. When we closed the deal and I took over, his effort to train me was half hearted at best. He told me quite a few different versions of the recipe for making the crepes, often showed up late and left early, and I was left to figure a lot of the stuff out myself. I had to redevelop a new recipe for the crepes, reorganize the store as I want my employees to be able to work smoothly. As a first time business owner, it was a lot of learning curves and I had to figure them out on my own. I learned that, when buying a business, no matter what the previous owner (seller) agreed to prior to closing (like 1-3 month training post closing), once the deal is done, it is not guaranteed that they are willing to train you. You have to really be prepared for the worse and know that you might need to figure out a lot of the stuff on your own.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

In the hospitality industry, there are a lot of turnover. It is really hard to find good workers who will work for you for a long time. Because my store is really small take-out store, during slow time I depend on them to run the store. There was this girl who I hired for a few weeks, and one time I scheduled her to work a morning shift starting from 11am. That morning I went to shop for inventory for the store. When I checked the store camera at 2pm, the store was black. It was closed. The girl never showed up. I called her, texted her, no response. I then rushed over to the store to open it and worked the shift myself. It is really frustrating sometimes when employees just decide to not show up to work one day as I depend on them to keep the store open when I go for inventory run.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tornadocrepeny.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tornadocrepeny/profilecard/?igsh=MXFqdGVsMnhsd2lqZA==