Turkish Trendsetter

 
With its fusion menu and trendy Californian vibe, Sunset Grill and Bar helped revolutionise Turkish eating-out when it opened in 1994. Barýs¸ Tansever, Sunset founder and current chairman of the Restaurant Association of Turkey, explains the secret of its continuing appeal, despite economic ups and down. He also reflects on why Istanbul – this year’s European Capital of Culture – has become a foodservice hotspot. Interview by Bruce Whitehall.
 
What key factors have helped the Turkish restaurant industry modernise and gain greater international recognition?
 
Tansever: Restaurants featuring international cuisine started in Istanbul about 30 years ago, with hotels like Hilton. Before that, it was mostly local Turkish and Ottoman-style food. In the past two decades, many independent restaurants opened, starting with French-influenced restaurants with heavy food and equally heavy atmosphere. Only in the 2000s has there been a move to more contemporary style restaurants, which we helped pioneer in the 1990s. We have also seen the emergence of young restaurant entrepreneurs like Berk Eksioglu and Levent Büyükugur of Istanbul Doors Group, and Mehmet Gurs.
 

What are the success factors in Istanbul dining?
 
Tansever: It is not that easy to forecast if a new restaurant concept will work. You can have a good chef and you can spend a lot of money on the decor but that does not mean that you will be successful. People need to feel comfortable in the restaurant. A lot depends on who you are, where you are opening, who you attract and who manages. International upper-spend brands need a local partner who knows the local crowd well. On top of that, they need to bring something that will add value for the client. Before 2000, quite a few people tried to set up branches of nternational restaurant chains in Istanbul and they struggled, like the Italian brand Bice. In the past three years, we have seen several well-known international names come here with very good concepts and brands and yet still have difficulties, like Spice Market and Hakkasan, the Chinese fine dining brand which many Turks are used to visiting when they are in London. To be successful here, you still need to have certain local qualities, like diners being known to staff by name. It’s more about traditional hospitality values than menus; as we say here, food and barbers don’t change.
 

 
| 2 June 2010 | Bruce Whitehall |