Entrepreneur Defne Ertan Tuysuzoglu achieved remarkable success in a field once reserved for men. She offers a simple business formula that she believes will make others even more successful than herself if they follow it.
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| Female billionaire Defne Ertan Tuysuzoglu |
Now 42, Defne Ertan Tuysuzoglu owns a renowned restaurant chain in Turkey. She shares: “Business has traditionally been a world reserved for Turkish men, and as a woman, I personally feel I do not have the room to make mistakes that men do. So to run a successful business, you must be very disciplined, hardworking, and above all fair to every young employee.”
In a country with a female-to-male entrepreneur ratio of 1/10 (according to the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey (WEAT), Tuysuzoglu is regarded as a role model for young women considering starting a business.
Tuysuzoglu owns the self-service restaurant chain Kirkpinar, named after a region of Turkey renowned for exceptional meat.
The first Kirkpinar restaurant opened 7 years ago. Tuysuzoglu’s company now has 33 branches across the country, and she plans to open 5 more restaurants by the end of 2014.
Tuysuzoglu started her business in 2007 after returning to Turkey following years of restaurant experience in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Cleanliness is the number 1 priority
From the outset, Tuysuzoglu insisted that cleanliness was a prerequisite for the success of the Kirkpinar restaurant chain, regarded as a breath of fresh air and a modern face of Turkey.
The restaurant concept was inspired by “Lokanta,” a traditional Turkish type of restaurant, except that for owner Tuysuzoglu, everything had to be cleaner than usual.
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| Diners Queue in Crowds at the Kirkpinar Self-Service Restaurant Chain |
Tuysuzoglu explained: ‘Traditional restaurants reliably serve delicious food, but they are not very clean. Cleanliness matters greatly; it makes us feel healthy and enjoy our food. Super clean, super exciting.’
To ensure maximum cleanliness across all restaurants, the company has a team of supervisors who regularly visit its outlets. Owner Tuysuzoglu also makes surprise inspections. To prevent branch managers from secretly warning each other of her arrival, she generally never visits two nearby restaurants on the same day.
Although she is the company's founder and owner, Tuysuzoglu has not changed her habit of enthusiastically helping restaurant employees. She explains: “I have worked as a cashier, stood at the grill, or taken any position whenever I felt it was needed. I have never acted superior, bossed people around, or put on airs as some high-level CEO. My view is to always create connections, with both customers and employees.”
The customer is king
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| Kirkpinar takes its name from a region of Turkey famous for its excellent meat |
The Kirkpinar restaurant chain's modern business model continually expands its range of dishes. It still serves traditional Turkish food, such as Koft meatballs, but with food-safety and hygiene standards higher than usual.
Tuysuzoglu explained: ‘We modernize Turkish dishes a little, and most are baked in microwave ovens rather than traditionally deep-fried.’ However, Kirkpinar's commitment to healthy cooking met an unexpected challenge from diners.
The owner of Kirkpina recalled: “Some customers came to us complaining: ‘This restaurant comes from the Kirkpinar region, so why is there no liver dish?’ They meant Yaprak Cigeri, a traditional Turkish dish of fried liver that is very rich and fragrant.”
Because Tuysuzoglu's company focused on grilled dishes, she did not initially serve this popular dish. But requests from her “valued customers” led her to change her decision. Tuysuzoglu considers this a valuable lesson in adapting a business: “We always say ‘Yes’ when customers need something.”
The decision to add fried liver to the menu now brings Kirkpinar 1/3 of its profit. In 2013, the restaurant chain’s total revenue reached USD 23 million.
Education Goes Hand in Hand with Practice
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| Tuysuzoglu operates 33 restaurant branches nationwide |
With a degree in hotel management from Bogazici University in Istanbul and another qualification from Michigan's public university in the US, Tuysuzoglu has worked in the restaurant industry for many years.
Tuysuzoglu acknowledges that studying in the United States was particularly useful for her management skills. She said: ‘At just 25, I managed a restaurant in the U.S. I learned to adapt quickly to guests' and local people's cultures, build a team, and train them to excel.’
Now, in her homeland, the Kirkpinar restaurant chain is a bright spot in the restaurant business. Tuysuzoglu's startup story is seen as powerful inspiration for every young woman intending to build her own company.
Tuysuzoglu is also director of the Turkish branch of Le Cordon Bleu, the French culinary institute based at Ozyegin. By aiming to modernize Turkish cuisine, Tuysuzoglu is helping other entrepreneurs succeed in the restaurant industry.
