Tony McDonough meets Jaf Siddiqi,director of Viva Brazil

GENIUS, said scientific pioneer Thomas Edison, is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. It’s a theory that Jaf Siddiqi seems determined to put to the test.

The 29-year-old co-owner of Liverpool’s Viva Brazil restaurant puts in around 90 hours a week – more than double that of a normal full-time job.

He can thank (or blame, whichever way you look at it) his father for such a ferocious work ethic.

“My family owns a manufacturing business in Manchester and I suppose I could have easily gone into that, had I wanted to,” said Siddiqi.

“I had the opportunity to do that but instead decided I wanted to do my own thing.

“When I was growing up, I saw how hard my dad worked on his own business – he would go out early in the morning and we would not see him again until late at night.

“He taught me that you can only take out of a business what you put into it.”

When he was 17, while still at school, Siddiqi was managing a bar/restaurant in Manchester and carried on working in the trade while studying for his business degree at Manchester Metropolitan University.

From there, he continued to work in the hospitality business, managing restaurants and hotels and working on major projects for the De Vere group.

His entrepreneurial career began about three years ago when he and business partner Andy Aldrich opened their first eaterie in the Deansgate area of central Manchester.

The pair now own the three-strong Champagne Bar chain, with outlets in Manchester, Glasgow and London.

But it is Viva Brazil which has become a labour of love for Siddiqi.

Located in the former Bank of Scotland building, in Castle Street, the restaurant launched last October with a spectacular display of Brazilian dancing and music.

Siddiqi and Aldrich have set out to create what they describe as an authentic Brazilian steakhouse.

“We are a very fresh company and we work outside of the box,” said Siddiqi, who holds the title of operations director for the business.

“We wanted something very different from the traditional restaurant you find in Britain.

“There’s a fixed price for lunch and dinner and the carvers, or passadors, move from table to table serving a selection of 15 meats that have been cooked on a barbecue.

“We also have the traditional salad island where people can choose from a wide variety of gourmet salads, breads, cooked meats and sauces.

“We do not serve chips – we won’t compromise on that. Instead, diners are offered other types of potatoes.”

Siddiqi claims that, despite the tough economic conditions, the weekly trade has exceeded all forecasts.

For the full offering – or Full Rodizio – diners pay £12.50 for lunch or £22.95 for dinner.

Siddiqi added: “That may seem expensive, but if you look at what you would get for the same price at other restaurants – maybe a single cut of meat – then you will see what we offer is superb value.”

The rise in VAT to 20% and soaring wholesale food prices have squeezed margins and restaurants across the country, and Siddiqi admits Viva Brazil has not been immune from that.

And they have so far avoided the two-for-one style special offers that are now prevalent in the trade.

He said: “We may have to look at pricing at some point but there are other, cleverer ways of reducing costs rather than just putting up your prices.

“Changing a meat supplier, for example, while being careful not to compromise the quality, could save us up to £2,000 a week.

“We haven’t had to do any special offers. We have the volume of trade so there is no need.

“If we didn’t have the volume, then maybe we would look at it.”

Siddiqi said the location for Viva Brazil was chosen very carefully in order to attract what he calls a “premium” clientele.

“Andy and I hand-picked the large selection of wines we offer – we had fun doing that,” he added.

“Around 60% of our lunch diners during the week are business people and many are happy to share a £70 bottle of wine.

“Being in Castle Street has made a massive difference to the trade we are getting.

“We did look at locations in Liverpool One, where there is obviously a high footfall, but it wasn’t quite right.

“Castle Street itself has a high footfall and many of them are the premium audience we are aiming for.

“There is now a good cluster of good restaurants in this area.”

Siddiqi and Aldrich intend to roll out the Viva Brazil concept to other UK locations over the next few years.

Glasgow is next, with Sheffield and Birmingham also on the radar.

“We are looking to open two or three Viva Brazils a year,” said Siddiqi. “We will open two this year and three in both 2012 and 2013.”

Central to Viva Brazil’s authentic Brazilian experience, he added, is the staff.

The Liverpool outlet, which can accommodate 160 diners, employs 42 people, most of whom are Brazilian.

“Around 80% of our staff are Brazilian,” said Siddiqi.

“Brazilian restaurants are very family-oriented and we have people from the same families working here.

“Our meat carvers are among the most highly-rated in Europe.

“Two of our chefs originally came for jobs here as cleaners, and it turned out one had worked as a housekeeper in Portugal for seven years catering for dinner parties.

“Our aim when we open the new restaurants is to recruit from within – to take advantage of that traditional Brazilian friends and family network.

“I do like to give responsibility to people and at the same time I am a bit of a control freak – I do want things done in the certain way.

“Staff development is a very important part of our ethos.

“I only want people working here who are ready to progress within six months.

“I have worked for companies in the past where there was no time or resources devoted to staff training or development, and I had to do it myself. We want that to be different here. Look after your staff and they will look after you.”