Enzo Quaradeghini, co-owner of Etrusca Restaurants, tells us about the ups and downs of owning such a large independent group and how he has had to master the art of cat-napping!

What’s an average day/week like for you these days?

We have 6 places in Spain now so my days are quite different. Monday to Wednesday I tend to focus on our London restaurants, but Thursdays for example, I’ll be up at 5am to catch an early flight to Barcelona for meetings in Zuccato and Assador with my management teams. We’ll discuss everything from operational and staffing issues to margins and targets. Then I’ll stick around through the lunch period to get a feel for how things are going, from the food presentation to the service in both of the restaurants. Then I’m on the next plane to Madrid to do the same again at our restaurant Ars Vivendi. I am a professional cat-napper these days; as soon as I board the plane, if I’m lucky enough to get a window seat, I close down until we land.

The next morning I’ll leave early for Valencia. We have Zuccato and Assador restaurants there too, as well as Guru, a nightclub, so I’ll start at the restaurants and then spend the afternoon and evening with the team from Guru.

Tell us some more about Guru – what kind of nightclub is it?

Well, it has a 3,500 capacity, so from an operational point of view, it’s no easy task! There are 4 rooms with 4 individual high ranking DJ’s, playing anything from R&B to House. In Spain it’s known as a ‘Superclub’ because of its size. There’s a huge team compared to an average restaurant, so I have to spend a lot of time with the marketing department and various promoters, as well as the general management. It’s also a completely different experience from running a restaurant, there are far more things and different angles to consider.

As a team we’ll go out in the evening too, before the club opens, to meet with bar owners and promoters. They send us a lot of business so you have to look after them. The crowd at Guru depends on the promoter; sometimes it’s quite young, sometimes not. But in Valencia, whatever the age group, it’s always glamorous. They like to make the effort, there’s no such thing as a grungy look over there! And they don’t let up until the club closes at 8am.

Do you fly business class?

You’re joking! I get the cheapest flight available, which sometimes means flying from one UK airport and returning to another, which is a pain believe me. But when you’re traveling almost every week, you can’t afford to be frivolous and precious about it. I am lucky enough to get the odd lift in a business associates private jet though. That’s always nice; it makes the journey a bit more enjoyable!

You once participated in the Gumball Rally in your Ferrari. Will you be doing that again?

Not at £40,000 a go I won’t, NO! We were launching Zuccato in NW3 at the time, so it was all part of the press campaign, but these days I barely get a minute to drive my Ferrari, let alone drive it through Europe.

Any time for hobbies?

Not really. Although I do fit in a bit of shooting from time to time, during the season. Other than that, my business is my only hobby. And my family of course!