Restaurant Owners Share Recipe for Success in Floundering Economy on CNN

    WATAUGA, TX, August 25, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The most common storefront sign in America lately seems to be "Out of Business", and small family restaurants are especially prone to empty parking lot syndrome. But a quirky gourmet restaurant in Watauga, Texas, is not only surviving in a tough economy--it's thriving.

Owners Franson and Paula Nwaeze have conjured up a unique success story at the Chef Point Cafe. He has a passion for cooking; she has a head for business. They have found creative ways around every roadblock. When the banks wouldn't finance a restaurant for them because of the high failure rate in the industry, they bought a Conoco gas station and convenience store instead. The Nwaezes installed a full kitchen and voila! Chef Point Cafe was born.

The 5-star restaurant has since earned praise for its culinary creations, and will soon be featured on CNN for its successful business model. The interview with Chef Point Cafe Business Manager Paula Nwaeze is tentatively slated to air on Aug. 29.

"A lot of small businesses are struggling right now," Paula says. "And we've definitely had our challenges, but we've learned so much, and been so blessed, we thought others could benefit from hearing our story."

One of the lessons the Nwaezes learned was to seek objective opinions from others. "You have to be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses," Paula says. "There are so many facets to running a successful business, everyone needs help."

The Nwaezes found some help from Ron Sturgeon, a Fort Worth, TX-based entrepreneur and business consultant who became a regular at the restaurant and helped refine the restaurant's marketing plans. "Chef Point Cafe has great food and a compelling story," says Sturgeon, "and it's been fun working with Paula and Franson to be sure that people know about Chef Point. The news is getting out because the business has grown sales 400% year over year."

Sturgeon helped the Nwaezes organize and focus their marketing efforts. Chef Point Cafe redesigned their web site and created communities for their customers on Facebook and Twitter. Recommendations from regulars helped the restaurant earn a segment on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives."

The final ingredient for success in a bad economy, according to Paula, is passion. "Franson and I love what we're doing here, and I believe that comes across to our customers."

Established in 2003, the Chef Point Cafe is an Italian-American fine dining restaurant located at 5901 Watauga Road, Watauga, TX. For reservations, call 817.656.0080. For hours and menu of the landmark Fort Worth restaurant, visit http://www.chefpointcafe.org.

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