IN this week's SME Focus a restaurateur whose father won renown in the industry explains why he decided to start his own venture.

Name:

Michaelangelo Onorati.

Age:

33.

What is your business called?

Michaelangelo's.

Where is it based?

Clarkston, Glasgow.

What service does it offer?

We are a licensed Italian restaurant and pizzeria offering classic Italian cooking with a modern twist. Michaelangelo's is the successor to Roma Mia of Pollokshields which was widely acknowledged as one of Scotland's top Italian restaurants. Whilst Roma Mia was performing well, complications developed with the renewal of the lease, which coincided with my dad's intention to retire. I decided to grasp the opportunity to open my own restaurant, having served a sixteen year apprenticeship under my dad at Roma Mia.

Whom does it sell to?

The general public. Our customers come from the local Clarkston and Busby areas and many of the former regulars from Roma Mia come from Pollokshields, Shawlands and elsewhere in the Southside.

What is its turnover?

Our target turnover is £300,000 for our first year of operations and we are already well ahead of schedule.

How many employees?

17.

When was it formed?

We opened just before last year's Scottish Independence Referendum, in September 2014.

Why did you take the plunge?

I've always wanted to work for myself rather than for others. When my father decided to retire, I saw a good opportunity, developed a good business plan and decided to go for it. I love working within the restaurant trade so did not really consider anything other than opening my own restaurant. Roma Mia was like a family: when regular customers came in, we knew them and we knew what they wanted - and that's something that I'm looking to replicate at Michaelangelo's.

I'd always wanted the property we have so it was a calculated plunge. The site is at the hub of everything in Clarkston - an area I know particularly well. It was occupied for many years by a popular ice cream parlour called Boni's Café but Michaelangelo's offering is entirely different so there has been no downside to taking over the premises. Indeed, we've had numerous Boni regulars come in, having been intrigued to see what we've done with the space.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

My dad came to Scotland from Rome at the age of 23 and has worked in the restaurant trade ever since, opening his first outlet at the age of 30. I worked in Roma Mia from 1998, gaining experience from my dad about all aspects of running a restaurant; from coffee, wine, food, cleaning - you name it, I've pretty much done it. I've scrubbed dishes and floors on the one hand and prepared lobster thermidor on the other. I've also worked for two wine companies and been a general manager for a restaurant in the West End of Glasgow.

What was your biggest break?

Securing the investment required to open up the restaurant from a private investor, a former Roma Mia customer who has become a family friend.

What was your worst moment?

There have been a few low points over the years. A few weeks after my dad first opened the family restaurant, when I was 18, the restaurant was set on fire on Guy Fawkes night. Someone had smashed the window and thrown in a firework which had set the curtains alight. There were tenement flats above the restaurant but, fortunately, one of our regular customers was walking by, noticed the blaze and phoned the fire brigade. If it hadn't been for him, it could have had a devastating effect on the residents upstairs. As it was, we were closed for a couple of months and it really affected business. My dad was gutted - the restaurant had hit the ground running and my dad had put everything he had into it - financially and emotionally - so it was a real low point seeing him so distraught, like a broken man.

Years later, my dad developed cancer and had to rebuild the business after he came out of hospital. Fortunately, he has since been given the all-clear and is enjoying retirement back in Rome.

One of the highlights over the years was my dad being given a knighthood from the Italian government for his service in promoting Italian food in a foreign land

Most recently, the bureaucracy involved in having to deal with solicitors and building control prior to the opening of Michaelangelo's has felt like a very slow and frustrating process.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

The popularity of Michaelangelo's has exceeded my expectations; we've already had the cast from Game of Thrones into the restaurant - they were regulars of ours at Roma Mia.

I like to take an active involvement in the local community and we recently committed to sponsoring a local sports club youth football team. I suppose what I most like is to welcome the return of regular clients.

What do you least enjoy?

Having to deal with the occasional staffing issues that invariably arise in this sector. My biggest bugbears are paperwork and dealing with bills.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

To acquire more properties and to expand the brand. Over the next five years I would like to see another three to five restaurants, all within the Greater Glasgow area, including a city centre offering.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish government do that would most help?

They could review business rates and employment issues. I think there is too much of a safety net for some unemployed people. Value Added Tax is a killer for restaurants and we would also like to see Corporation Tax cut or abolished.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned?

The customer is king, so give them what they want when they want it at a price they can afford.

How do you relax?

By walking my dog. The restaurant is open seven days and nights - and I tend to work all of them, so time to relax is scarce.