Maxim Dorofeev: #FARШ is strength

Tell us a little about yourself: how did your journey in this profession begin and how did you come to #FARSH ?

My journey began quite a long time ago, in 1997. He started as a cook, then worked as a sous chef and head cook. At some point, I realized that it was time to grow higher, and moved to administrative positions.

I started my administrative career at Rosinter Restaurants. Afterwards he moved to Tanuki to the position of director of one of the restaurants, after a while he became a territorial manager, then - operational director. And in 2011 he headed the company as General Manager and, together with his team, opened more than 50 restaurants of different concepts.

In 2016, I decided that I needed to move and develop further. I liked Arkady Novikov’s proposal to work with the #FARSH burger concept. And in collaboration with the Miratorg company and Arkady, we determined the development strategy for 2017.

# FARSH in Kuntsevo Plaza is the sixth point of the chain, what are your plans for the future?

We have a lot of plans: by the end of the year we plan to open 12 new restaurants. The new restaurants will be located in Moscow City, on the street. Forest; On City Day, a restaurant will open in Sokolniki, we will delight the residents of Khimki, as well as guests of the Atrium and Metropolis shopping centers. We are also planning expansion to St. Petersburg: the first #Farsh will appear on Nevsky this fall, and several more restaurants at the beginning of next year.

When #FARSH opened , the burger joint was positioned as a new “place of power”; has #FARSH become that for your guests?

Of course yes. The place where #FARSH opens attracts people - the quality of the products, the beautiful interior. That’s why we came up with the slogan “a new place of power” - here our guest receives a charge of energy and vigor. As we understand, a good piece of meat or cutlet is strength for a man. There is another source of this creativity. For the New Year, we successfully painted the glass in the style of Star Wars, and from here it came: “May the #FARSH-force be with you.” #FARSH is power: when we arrive, we attract our guests like a magnet.

Besides, people like this format - it’s trendy now, it’s fashionable. We are developing because we see the future: people are interested in simple and understandable food that can be eaten within 10-15 minutes, and if this food is also in a place with a beautiful interior, then this is the key to success.

How do you see your visitor?

This is everyone, from young to old, from students to the older generation, who come and try our dishes. There is no one type of guest, although, of course, students like the restaurant most: a burger and a bottle of good beer or cola is their story. At the same time, our restaurant in Kuntsevo turned out to be more family-friendly - on Saturdays and Sundays it works hard, and on weekdays it is a little quieter. And the restaurant on Nikolskaya is its absolute opposite - every day is like a day off there.

What do you consciously draw the attention of your visitors to?

Our concept is convenience. Food must be prepared with high quality, tasty, according to standards and quickly served to the guest. Well, and, of course, the beautiful interior attracts attention - it is different in each restaurant. For the purity of the experiment, we work with different designers and try to ensure that the restaurants are not similar to each other.

Does #FARSH have any special “tricks”?

You know, we have an absolutely standard menu presentation - there is nothing better than something simple. If you need to suggest or explain something, at the checkout, either the waiter or the cashier will always show and tell you everything.

Which of your dishes and drinks do you highlight: which of them will fully allow you to feel the spirit of the establishment?

I think it's any of our burgers with a cold bottle of cola or beer. We also have very tasty lemonades, which we make in our factory, and smoothies.

Soon you will come to our MONIN studio for workku drinks, what are you waiting for? Are there options and flavors that you're most interested in and curious about?

We decided to try switching to MONIN and working on cocktail recipes for #FARSH in the studio. If the development turns out to be successful, we will be happy to use these syrups. In any case, I think it will be interesting, and I expect original solutions.

Alexey Krylov is behind your signature dishes and drinks - is he the one who chooses the dishes and equipment for the kitchen?

Yes, our brand chef Alexey is responsible for the quality of the kitchen and selects all the dishes. Our French chef Kamel Benmamar is at the origins of the menu, and Alexey supports technology, quality and participates in the development of new tastes. Each #FARSH, by the way, has its own: on Rimskaya it’s a sandwich with pastrami, on Kuntsevskaya it’s “Tourist from Bombay” with curry, on Frunzenskaya it’s “Steak Burger”, and on Lubyanka we will soon launch the symbolic “Godfather” .

Does Alexey have any “favorites” among kitchen utensils?

We have only one favorite - “Complex-Bar”, with which we work exclusively and buy everything we need for the kitchen there.

Was it difficult to find suitable utensils and equipment?

Of course, we had discussions on this matter, but, in general, I can say that I have been working with Complex-Bar for several years now and had no doubt that we would find a common solution to many issues. And we were really able to quickly resolve everything and are successfully cooperating.

Is it possible to calculate the benefits of cooperation?

Thanks to the constant partnership as a supplier and buyer, we have developed certain relationships, and this, of course, gives us certain bonuses. It is much more profitable to purchase the necessary equipment at Complex-Bar than anywhere else.

Moreover, this cooperation is convenient for us: no matter how many points we have already opened, the company has never let us down.