Today we’d like to introduce you to Leyla Montrone.
Hi Leyla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started to work in the hospitality business 16 years ago. It has always been a part of my life while I worked other jobs and earned my Bachelors and Masters Degrees. I have always loved the restaurant business and would imagine having a little place to call my own in the future. I was born and raised in Russia, and lived in Germany for 20 Years. I fell in love with Florida in 2017 and was looking for ways to move down here permanently, which is legally not that easy. Then in 2022 this little café, Flapjacks, came available for sale and I decided right away that this could be it. I flew down to Florida to see the café in person and fell in love with the restaurant and the area. I immediately began the visa process, and in March 2023, I finally made my dream of living in Florida and owning my own business come true. It was a mess when I took over, but with a lot of hard work, dedication, and an amazing team we built Flapjacks back up to what it is now.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, not too smooth at all. I thought it would be better to buy an existing business instead of opening a brand new one in a completely different country, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought. The visa process itself was very stressfull because I was in Germany and everything else was in Florida. During my brief trip down here, I didn’t see all the hidden negative things about the business, but I did once I moved. After a lot of work and the best team I could wish for, we improved the business and saw greater profits in the last 2.5 years. I’m very proud of what my team and I have accomplished over this short period.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I started to work in logistics right after school. It wasn’t my dream job but I finished and walked out with a degree after 2.5 years. I decided to do a Bachelors in Sports and became a manager in the group fitness department in my early 20s while I was still in school. After I completed my Masters in Health Management I worked various positions along the way. I did HR, Recruiting, Bookkeeping for restaurants and, of course, always waitressing. After Covid affected the whole world I had a job in a call center because all the restaurants were closed. Then I worked for PwC till my move to the USA in 2023. I think all the different experiences helped me to become the person I am now. I always enjoyed learning and adding new skills to my skillset, and there is still so much more out there for me.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Right now it is a small café, but it gets busier and I know that I need to expand, especially in location since we have limited seating. I’m looking forward to expanding to a second location at some point, but not just yet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flapjackscafevenice.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlapjacksCafeVenice
