Business Profile: Barboni’s
Name: Kevin Browne
Company: Barboni’s
Address: 23-25 Castle Street, Omagh
Contact details: (028) 8225 1545
Can you describe your business?
Barboni’s is a family run licensed restaurant and takeaway, offering our take on classic American, tex-mex and Italian cuisine, with a menu that offers even the most discerning of customers a wide variety of choice. All in an environment that we believe to be vibrant, comfortable and friendly.
Why did you start your own business?
I had been living in London and worked in IT, when I moved back to Tyrone there just wasn’t the same opportunities available and I always had a great passion for cooking and meeting people. I first opened a small pizza and pasta restaurant in Aughnacloy where I had a thriving business for seven years. I always wanted to have an extended menu, and a move to a bigger premises in a larger town would accommodate, which led to our move to Omagh on Castle Street.
What are the best things about running your own business?
The main benefits of running my own business is having the opportunity to set my own targets and goals within an industry which I have a genuine interest and passion for. It also affords me the opportunity to meet all the weird and wonderful people out there in the community, all of whom make it a pleasure to put up the shutter.
What are the main challenges facing the business?
I think at the moment all small independent businesses are fighting very hard in what can be sometimes a saturated market, where footfall is falling nationwide, and everyday expenses are rising and continue to do so.
What advice would you give to someone starting a business?
Choose an industry that you have a passion for, do the research to establish if there is a requirement for a business of that type in your chosen area and that the hours associated with that business type is conducive with your life. Then, get ready for the hard work and good luck!
Can you describe your experience of running a business in three words or less?
Challenging, humbling, worthwhile.
