Calif, a Romanian business with oriental specific, in which the first rule that employees learn is to smile. Business supported by BT

Calif is a chain of quick service restaurants in Bucharest and is the first Kebab Boutique in Romania that offers an oriental cuisine of good taste: all specialties are carefully prepared in its own production center. The passion for oriental flavors and the savor of good taste can be found in all the "Caliphates". The recipes are strictly observed, so that the taste does not differ from one restaurant to another.

On a very crowded market, such as fast food, Radu Tanase and his two associates have built, from the very beginning, a brand based on quality products, the way of presentation and the way of interacting with customers.

Calif's story began 5 years ago, at the end of 2010, with a turnover of 190,000 euros and 20 employees, and in 2015 they ended the year with over 3,000,000 euros, 150 employees and 3 locations in Bucharest: Selari Caliphate, Iancului Caliphate, Military Caliphate.

Radu Tanase, one of the three shareholders in Calif, tells us about the story of this business supported by Banca Transilvania, the bank of entrepreneurial people.

How do you characterize Caliph in 3 words?

Honest, Smart and Different

What motivated you to start such a business in this field?

Here there is a lot to tell, but the only thing I have now and that made me join my partner, Bogdan Jantea, is the courage and openness I have to new challenges.

Why the name Caliph? How did you get to the current logo?

The name came after a fairly long period in which we analyzed, syllable, pronounced whole lists of names proposed by the profile agencies. In the end, Caliph was the chosen one because we believe he has that "something" that is reminiscent of the Orient, which also means respect.

The logo was the creation of the designer Victor Bartis, with whom we worked and continue to work the entire visual identity. A great artist. 

How did you manage to differentiate yourself from similar businesses? What marketing and promotion strategies did you use?

Differentiation, if I think about it, was simple to do in a segment where customers were taught with a standard product with a mediocre taste and extremely low attention to detail.

Our ranking as a leader in recent years in the Quick Service Restaurant segment I think says absolutely everything about us. Thus, at the moment, in the Calif menu there are 75 products diversified in categories that cover most of the range of customer tastes. We even want to fight with the perception that fast food is always unhealthy, so we also collaborate with a nutritionist to make the menu and we have included in the menu a wide range of dietary and vegetarian products.

Marketing has been and still remains the tool that I think we handle quite well, let's not forget our entry into the top Social Brand's in Romania, according to Biz magazine. At the strategy level, we have chosen to rely heavily on social media - it is available to everyone in our core segment - but not only. I think we were the first restaurant that had the courage to introduce in the menu 3 products made entirely by bloggers and with great appreciation one of them is today in the top of customer preferences. Instead, we also have many surprises that we are preparing for the future, so ... "keep connected". 

What are your business challenges?

The ultimate challenge I think is to be in the top 3 profile businesses at the brand awareness level. At the same time, surely the number 1 challenge will be to maintain and raise the quality of the products, but also the standard of the services we offer. 

What is the segmental target you are targeting?

The target audience is between 21 and 30 years old, with medium to high incomes.

How did you come to work with BT?

Initially we said that, in the event of the need for a loan, we do not want to call any bank and that we will collect from our own sources; that's how I worked for a long time. Instead, there came a time when we needed a little support, and those who extended a hand to us were you, Banca Transilvania. Everyone else treated us like novices, with no history and high risk.

How will the Calif business evolve in the coming years?

We want it to become the most famous business in Romania on the quick service food segment and we will make every effort to achieve this goal as soon as possible.

What advice do you have for people who want to open a business?

Business Plan for 5 years, extremely careful management of cash flow, will always be put on the wallpaper "worst case scenario", respect your team and do not delay even 1 minute with salary payments, give yourself clear and strict rules: give bonuses when people deserve it, apply sanctions when necessary.

If you are from Bucharest or you are traveling through Bucharest, we recommend one of the Caliph locations: the Caliphate of Iancului and the Military Caliphate.