Finding twists that you are passionate about as a consumer and that generate new experiences for people are the characteristics that Joan Cordoves looks for in business.
Nine years ago, this entrepreneur of Cuban origin decided to import from Belgium to Mexico the concept Dinner in the Skya goumet experience at 45 meters high, which has been experienced by some 100,000 people in Mexico.
In the middle of the pandemic, when the world seemed to stop due to the confinement before the Covid-19 and even the operations of Dinner in the Sky were suspended, Joan created a new concept: Suerte de Churro, a churrería that today has three branches in the country. Additionally, last July she launched Breaking Barbas, a themed barbershop in Mexico City.
leave the routine on earth
It was in 2013 when Joan learned about the concept through the internet. Dinner in the Skyan experience in which 22 diners are lifted 45 meters high by a crane to enjoy a delicious gourmet menu, premium drinks and a spectacular view.
The concept emerged in Belgium in 2005 and has extended its operations to 60 countries. “I took a plane and that same year [2013] we brought it to Mexico,” he recalls.
At that time the investment was 300,000 euros for the acquisition of the franchise, plus 5,000 euros that are paid annually in royalties. Under the concept of leaving the routine on earth, they began with their first experience at the Sheraton hotel in Santa Fé, CDMX. Later the concept became an itinerant experience and they have taken it to cities such as: Monterrey, Guadalajara, Teotihuacan, Yucatán, Morelia, Puebla, Tequila, Chapala, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and Querétaro.
Ensure operation and quality
Joan Cordoves has the operation of the brand in the country, but can also sub-franchise territories. In nine years of operations he has determined that to ensure standardization and quality of the business it is necessary to take care of the operation.
“We started by selling them the table and leaving them at the mercy, as all franchises operate and that theme did not work, we learned that people do what they want, even though there are manuals and contracts,” he says.
So they decided to change the model and have the operation always go through the corporate. “People who want to bring the experience to their city buy the right to the territory and we operate it,” explains the businessman. In these cases, they operate in partnership, in which the local interested party invests from 2 million 800,000 to 3 million 500,000 in the event, as if it were a concert.
And there are cities that do not have much potential, such as Zacatecas, explains the entrepreneur. “I put on the table the potential partner who is complicated by this or that, but if he wants to, go ahead.” 30% of the experiences are carried out through this type of agreement.
a lucky deal
The pandemic left many lessons for entrepreneurs, such as “not having a single business,” says Joan, who was forced to stop the operations of the Belgian franchise.
So he analyzed what he could do to avoid spending the money, he says. “I live in Playa del Carmen, where there are many marquesitas and although I don’t like them that much, that’s where the idea of creating a cool brand began and that was with my personality or passion.” Then he thought of churros, a very popular craving in his native Cuba and also widely consumed in Mexico.
In August 2020 he launched the brand churro luck a churrería. Since the pandemic continued, he began with home deliveries, “but I always kept in mind that it is a brand of experience to go out to eat a good luck churro prepared at the moment, and that it needed places,” he comments.
Grow in tourist destinations
The delivery and the dark kitchen did not work 100% and in February 2021, together with his partner Edgar Ríos, he opened the first location in Playa del Carmen, “which did work very well,” says the businessman. On September 8 of the same year they inaugurated his first unit in Mexico City and on November 8 in Mérida.
The year 2021 was one of significant growth, but in 2022 they determined that the growth was going to be gradual and they were going to focus on the areas with the highest tourist influx, instead of on large cities such as the capital of the country.
Puerto Vallarta, Tulum or Guanajuato are areas with a high tourism market and high potential for growth. They also want to explore the United States. The goal is to reach 88 units in total in the two territories, but they recognize that the growth will be gradual and that it will be achieved between five and eight years.
A business up and running
The same as Dinner in the Sky, determined that in Suerte de Churro they will be in charge of the operation. The model works like this: The lucky partners invest and keep 49% of all the profit and liability of the store they invest in. “If you want to operate it or be the manager, go ahead, we put the brand, all the know-how and the entire operation. The investor does not have to get anything, we take care of allocating everything”.
The franchise fee is 180,000 pesos, plus the premises and adaptation. As we operate, we get 8% of gross sales and 5% from advertising sales. The investment ranges from between 650,000 and 900,000 pesos, depending on the location.
The bet is that it is a long-term business. “We always think that Suerte de Churro can last a lifetime, but in the end you are investing in a brand and a partner that we hope will last forever,” he says. However, if the bet does not pay off, the investor can keep the equipment and continue with his own brand.
A themed barbershop
Joan’s latest venture in business is Breaking Beards, a themed barbershop for Breaking Bad fans. The entrepreneur says that the idea also arose during the Covid crisis. “I bought the truck in the middle of the pandemic and it was a way of planting and also a parenthesis that I did,” he recounts.
The entrepreneur realized that there is a boom in the world of barbershops. “There can be eight on the same block, so my idea was to make this barbershop a different experience.”
He is accompanied on this adventure by his partner Omar Rocha, with whom he inaugurated the concept in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City on July 18.
This concept is totally focused on fans of the series and personal care. Joan believes that it can work very well in large cities such as Guadalajara, Monterrey and Guadalajara, where it will be fixed in one direction, although being a trailer it can be used to take it to events.
Barbershop is themed with elements from the series that are in the popular domain, but do not infringe any copyright or require a license. “There have been restaurants, bars and cafeterias under this concept in various parts of the world,” he clarifies.
“This brand will function as a traditional franchise and aimed at knowledgeable barbers. Whoever wants to buy it will be given a fully assembled and ready truck.” The investment would be approximately 1 million 200,000 pesos.
Joan is aware that this is a very early-stage concept, but says, “people are always asking you for a franchise.”
No.nine years of creating experiences
Joan is celebrating the nine years of Dinner in the Sky. Now that the activities have been reactivated, he says that people want to go out again to live this type of experience. In this line of business, the bet will be to focus more on the B2B market, that is, on companies and other brands that want to launch.
However, he acknowledges that Suerte de Churro is the business that has the most scalability due to the nobility and popularity of the product, while Breaking Barbas is a business that will gradually position itself. “I know that they are three very different businesses but that I always wanted to do and that moves me a lot. I think that if I like it and I am one of the 7,000 million inhabitants of the world, there must be another niche that likes what I do”.
As a recommendation to anyone who wants to enter the world of franchises, he recommends doing the research of the brand and its future partners well.
I like to do business with people that I can invite to eat at my house.
Joan Cordoves
“This philosophy limits my growth at times, but it’s important to know who you associate with. There are people who go with the feint very quickly, but first you must investigate, analyze the numbers, it is part of the show ”.
Marisol Garcia Fuentes Editorial Director Emprende and Emprendedor.com. I am motivated by stories of tenacity and innovation.