AFTER 50 years of dedication to hospitality, a restaurateur is stepping back from full time catering but not quite cutting the apron strings completely.
Franco Murgia, 66, of St John’s Road, Colchester, and his wife, Gill, have run restaurants across Essex for decades, including Franco’s in Clacton which opened in 2008.
The couple sold Franco’s two years ago and agreed to oversee the restaurant during the transition period.
But now that has ended and it is time for Franco to slow down.
Not that he will be retiring after a lifetime of commitment to the hospitality industry completely but Franco and Gill will be offering a private chef dining service for customers who would like to entertain their guests by providing a restaurant experience in their own home.
Franco said: “I think I’ll enjoy this new role a lot because it will allow me to meet new people and move around.
“I won’t have to work 15 hours a day like I’ve done for the past few years.
“Age is catching up to us and the body doesn’t quite react at the same speed that it did ten to 20 years ago.
“This different venture will allow us to keep in touch with regulars and improve quality of life.”
Franco came to England from the south of Italy in the summer of 1973 to work at the Savoy Hotel in the Strand, London.
After years of working in different establishments, he came to Essex in 1976 to work for a friend at Dino’s in West Mersea.
Other jobs around the country followed but Franco returned to Essex in 1986 and started working as at the La Piazza in Colchester before acquiring his own restaurant, Franco’s in East Hill.
Franco began racking up restaurants including The Rose and Crown, Eastgate’s, Franco’s in Balkerne Passage, Portofino in The Hythe and his final restaurant, Franco’s in Clacton.
He added: “When we took on our first restaurant in East Hill, the economy crash happened in 1990 followed by us closing for a month in 1991 because of snow, so there were tough times.”
As he begins to transition out of the hospitality industry, Franco has advice for the younger generation who are just starting up.
He believes continuity is key in running a successful restaurant.
Franco said: “It does not matter how good you are, you are only as good as your last dinner.
“If you work in an environment like Clacton or Colchester, as big as you might think it is, it is not big enough to warrant being a bad chef.
“Bad chefs are non committal, their love for food is not there and they just cook as a job.
“If that is you then honestly you should probably forget about this industry.”
Franco adds he has been blessed to work in Clacton with fisherman and suppliers who have always helped him out.
He said: “Every day I’m in the kitchen I get a buzz, I like to make sure all my staff are happy and functioning well.
“In my opinion you don’t gain respect through fear, it comes after many years of service and honesty between customers.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has eaten at our restaurants over the years for their support.”
For more information on Franco’s new venture email info@francosprivatedining.co.uk or call 07429021978.
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