Many are the times one argues before ordering food. At home, there's always the one who wants pizza that night and the one who prefers a burger. The situation has no easy solution and always requires the surrender and conformity of one of the parties. There is also the possibility of placing two orders, although it ends up proving to be a bad intermediate route, with orders arriving at different times and getting cold waiting for each other.
Given this scenario, the Barcelona restaurant group Pantea has decided to create Gozo, a multi-order delivery and take away option, which allows choosing from six cuisines. In Barcelona, other restaurants offering a similar proposal are Freshperts (Sushifresh and Boko) and Dani García's La Gran Família Mediterránea.
According to Gozo's general manager, Victor Carames, this project was already being cooked up before the arrival of covid, but it was decided to stop it until the time calmed down. Two years of pandemic later, with the consolidation of this way of consuming, the group has decided to launch the new concept, at the end of September, opening a venue on Avenida de Sarrià. For now, without wanting to give figures, Carames emphasizes that it is having a good reception. With an investment of 500,000 euros, the opening of the restaurant has led to the hiring of 35 workers.
Carames defines Gozo as "a quality fast-food brand", based on the most ordered products for home delivery, each with its own brand. The average ticket is 20 euros per person. To not disappoint anyone, there are pizzas, hamburgers ---with the possibility of accompanying them with fries--- and tacos ---in this case, they can be complemented with nachos---. For those who prefer something Asian, they can choose between ramen, pho, pad thai, yakisoba or noodles, with the option of adding edamames or gyozas. The milanesas are surprising, from the typical escalopes to the Argentinian ones, with cheese as the great novelty. Without forgetting those who want to eat healthy, poke bowls are also included. For those who always remain hungry, they can order desserts, with a Nutella pizza that is hard to say no to.
Many of the dishes included on Gozo's menu come from the most successful recipes of the Pantea group's restaurants, which recorded a turnover of 10.8 million in 2021. Created in 2008 by Pia Pishkoohani and Ramon Rodríguez, the restaurant group began by focusing its business on beach venues, then shifted towards more urban options. Currently, it has seven restaurants, each with different proposals. Among them, Can Fisher, on Bogatell Beach, with rice dishes, seafood, and fish; Pantea Beach, with two beach bars on Bogatell Beach and Barceloneta; Sumac & Mambo, in Enric Granados, with a cuisine between oriental and Mediterranean; Chaka Khan, in El Raval, with cocktails and small dishes from Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa, and Anita Flow, in Consell de Cent, the most casual one that will now have to compete with Gozo.
A second location to cover the entire city
Currently, Gozo is not available throughout Barcelona and only delivers within a radius of 3.5 to 4 kilometers around the premises. Specifically, they cover the area comprising Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, l'Esquerra de l'Eixample, la Dreta de l'Eixample ---up to the Sagrada Família---, part of the Gothic Quarter, Sants-Montjuïc, and Poblenou. To reach more areas, they plan to open a second location to cover the entire city within six months.
Despite having a business based on home delivery, Gozo also allows customers to sit in the premises and eat. They even have fast food-style machines to place orders on site. "We want to get away from the dark kitchen concept," Carames emphasizes. However, there is no table service, and the forks offered are also in delivery format. As it is not the main focus, the capacity for diners is reduced, with five tables with space for 16 people.
For those who pick up their order, whether they stay to eat or not, there is a 10% discount. Deliveries are mainly carried out through the Glovo messaging platform. They have an electric bicycle to handle certain orders. In the future, they contemplate having their own delivery staff.