Founder interview with Marcel Gruß from "Caffè Marcello"

Marcel Gruß, 33 years old. I earned some extra money in the restaurant business early on. I worked behind the bar at Morleos on Wilhelmsplatz, then came Schaumahl and Sugar. Here I learned that product quality should be the basis of any gastronomic work. The Espresso Bar taught me how to make espresso and how to live it. Before that, gastronomy was a part-time job during my studies. It was here that I realized that gastronomy was my passion.

It's actually just a caffè with Italian coffee culture: order at the bar, talk to each other and make contact. Casual but important, especially in this day and age.

What makes "Caffè Marcello" really special is the collaboration with "Willys Bar" - we share the premises, but we each have our own concept and business.

I had wanted to realize my own project for a long time. But I wasn't ready for the necessary requirements for a long time. My gastro stations showed me the tools I needed to succeed. Self-confidence, openness, approachability, respect for guests and products. But it was my experience at The Espresso Bar that finally made me dare to do it.

You can't force it, often it's just luck that everything - place, time, people - fits together.

There are always people who shape you. The most important thing is to find your own way. In the future, I will see whether I was wrong or right. But because I waited until I was ready, I was also open to the possibilities around me.

I'm satisfied with the start. My first summer in 2020 will be the first yardstick. In gastronomy, the start will certainly take two years. I would like to get through that, everything else remains to be seen. It's important to me to remain flexible and the concept allows me to do that.

The biggest challenge was being able to register the business at all. My idea of sharing the premises with Willy's Bar met with an open ear from the bar owner Dennis Walger, who also wanted to liven up the place during the day. We both and the landlord quickly agreed, but it was a novelty. Fortunately, the Trade and Veterinary Office and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce were also very keen to check whether this constellation was feasible. In the end, the veterinary department made the final and very timely decision in our favor.

Fortunately, I have people around me who actively support me. Especially my girlfriend. She is a project manager at an advertising agency in Offenbach and does everything for Marcello in the areas of design and corporate communications. She kept track of all the steps on the way to founding the company. It would have been impossible without her.

I have lived here for 30 years and simply love this city. You can experience everything here - curiosities, absurdities, but also simple happiness.

Once I was walking along a street. A song snapped me out of my thoughts and when I looked up, I saw the person singing, who only now realized that I was there. Astonishment turned into a brief moment of shared joy. I'm sure that happens elsewhere too. But where you experience it, you feel good.

My foundation also shows that the city is open to new things. I would like to say cosmopolitan!

Learn. Also trust in yourself. And sometimes you just have to do it!