The first Kazakh restaurant in the United States was opened in New York: the history of its creation

A resident of Kazakhstan, Zhanibek Gabbasov, together with his sister, had long planned to open a restaurant in the United States. Their main goal was to introduce Americans to the national Kazakh cuisine. Now the Gabbasov restaurant in Manhattan treats guests with dishes such as beshbarmak, kuyrdak, pilaf and more. It turned out that they became "the first Kazakhstanis in this area." This was written by the author of the channel weproject.media on the site Yandex Zen.

How did the idea to open a restaurant in the USA

Zhanibek Gabbasov hails from the city of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, but now lives in New York. He is the co-founder of a Central Asian restaurant called Siblings in Manhattan.

He managed to get into the city of dreams not the first time. “My sister moved to the USA in 2010, and I tried to fly away in 2011, but my visa was refused. But I did not give up and in 2013 I got a visa, I arrived at Christmas for two weeks. Then my sister flew to Kazakhstan: we made plans together, thought what to do. And we had an idea - to open our own institution, ”Gabbasov recalls.

In 2014, he spent six months in America. All this time he devoted to work on his project. “In 2015, I returned, and we began preparations for the opening of the institution. My sister dealt with paper issues, I - with design, construction, staff, ”explained Zhanibek.

Difficulty moving

Then there was the move and the first difficulties that arose at this stage. Gabbasov moved on a family reunification visa. In a new place, he had to refuse to communicate in Russian in order to quickly learn English. “I watched films only in English, this habit remained with me. I persistently reprogrammed my brain for other communication, thinking. In this way, I learned the language, ”he explained.

Zhanibek says that after moving there may be difficulties with documents. Because of this, many are unable to find work.

First impression of New York

The Big Apple made a strong impression on the Kazakhstani. “After Karaganda in New York, you feel small because of skyscrapers,” said Zhanibek.

He also liked the residents of the metropolis - “open, polite, they will always tell me.” “This was striking because people in Kazakhstan are more tense. But, having lived in the USA for more than six years, I understand that there are also different types among the population, ”said the immigrant.

Good service, according to Zhanibek, is another advantage of New York. “Since there are many tourists in America, the service is appropriate. Well placed management. Wherever you go for the first time, you will feel special attention to yourself, you will immediately feel good service, ”he stated.

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Another difference between New York and Karaganda is that in the American metropolis, people often rent apartments, rather than buy them. “In Kazakhstan, almost everyone has their own real estate, but here you turn on math, you think what to put off the budget for, where to earn. Otherwise, everything is similar: the same shops, products, ”said Zhanibek.

Communication between people, the so-called networking, in the states is very important. Here, everyone strives to make useful connections. Therefore, according to Zhanibek, you need to "get acquainted, do not be shy, especially in New York everyone speaks with a different accent."

Conclusions after starting a business in the USA

It was possible to start the business quickly enough: in August 2015 they began construction, and on January 6 they already started working.

It is worth noting that Zhanibek Gabbasov is a restaurateur by profession. And before starting his own business in America, he studied the market for a long time because he “wanted to come here with his concept,” writes the publication NTK.

After the opening, he worked for almost two years literally every day.

Since Americans love healthy food, for the first year and a half, the restaurant offered visitors only Mediterranean dishes. “We were made a special menu, we were the first to cook waffle dogs, we made sausages. Then the sister decided to remake the restaurant into an institution of Central Asian cuisine, ”he said.

After starting a business in the USA, Zhanibek came to the conclusion that this was the right decision, since the case turned out to be very profitable. Indeed, New York is a tourist city with a large cross. “Here everyone constantly eats, at every step there is some institution. Therefore, in terms of business, opening a restaurant was a good idea, ”he admitted.

There were difficulties during the opening of the business, the hero admits. First of all - financial. “We carefully calculated everything, but in fact it turned out to be several times more expensive. Sometimes we were told one price, but brought at a different price, ”he recalls. - Now the sister is mainly engaged in the restaurant, and I am engaged in self-education, trading, I study at the Moscow school. My main goal is to get an American education. ”

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In general, the move greatly influenced Zhanibek. “I have matured. My values ​​have changed, ”he admitted.

The main thing that Zhanibek learned during this time is the importance of a good attitude to employees. “You need to relate to your employees as you relate to yourself. Then your business will work, ”he says. - There is a book “Karmic management”. It says a lot. In principle, I learned a lot from it. ”

He was also able to appreciate the difference in conditions for entrepreneurs in the United States and at home. According to him, in New York, "the system works differently." “If you do everything right step by step - I got one. You have no complaints. Our system works a little differently. No corruption. Everything is fair here, ”the restaurateur shares his experience.

The first Kazakh restaurant in America

By the way, despite the fact that many different cuisines of the world are presented in New York, Kazakh was previously inaccessible to residents of the metropolis. “There are Uzbek restaurants in Brooklyn, but there are definitely no Kazakh restaurants anywhere in America or in any state,” the restaurateur told the publication. Kazakh TV. - To be honest, we did not know that we would be the first Kazakhstanis in this area here. We didn’t have such a goal. ”

Now everyone can visit their restaurant to appreciate the original design, national flavor and just enjoy the Kazakh cuisine. Especially popular here are beshbarmak, kuyrdak and pilaf. “We managed to reflect the national color thanks to felt souvenirs and paintings of our compatriot Berik Kulmamirov,” said Zhanibek.

By the way, the name of the Siblings restaurant translates as “siblings”. “For Americans, this is such a warm name. It resembles home comfort and kitchen, they really like it. We would like to learn more about Kazakhstan in America. Locals say that the Kazakh people are very well-mannered. We are respected here, ”he summed up.