Normally, you don’t usually look at the ticket from the cafeteria where you had your last coffee, a crepe or a rich tapa of potatoes with mojo, beyond the price of the drink, of course. If someone ever stopped to look at the ticket header of the Planet Espresso, an emblematic local on Teobaldo Power street, near the Parliament, would be in for a huge surprise when he saw that it contained Construcciones y Reformas M. Bernabe SL. And it is that, 25 years ago, just the ones that this business has just completed, on July 7 to be more exact, the need to diversify the construction business led the Martínez brothers (Enrique, David and Carlos) to opt for open a franchise of a well-known brand of creperies and cafes in the heart of Santa Cruz.
Enrique Martínez is responsible for the finances of this place, in which the eight workers are like a small family, which even celebrates the birthdays of the employees, such as that of María Eugenia, who last Thursday, while DIARIO DE AVISOS was talking With the eldest of the Martínez, he distributed cake among colleagues and lifelong clients.
The Pianeta adventure, as its finance manager recalls, began in Valencia, where it went to meet the franchisee that offered this brand. “We are talking about 1998, when almost nobody in Santa Cruz knew what franchisees were in the restaurant world…”. Although they had initially noticed the brand for its cafeteria aspect, until they traveled and decided to invest, the brand had already incorporated crepes into its menu. “The truth is that we had no intention of adding a kitchen, but it caught our attention, and if we entered the franchisee’s business we had to do it with their conditions,” Enrique points out.
He remembers what those early years were like when cars kept passing through the door of the cafeteria, a street that was not pedestrian traffic at the time, dark, but the truth is that “the place met the conditions we were looking for so we took it ”. Luck accompanied this decision because, “only one year later the Urban Plan began and they pedestrianized the entire area.”
He admits that luck has been with them since that initial adventure, and everything has gone smoothly, yes, “with a lot of work and many hours, because this is a very physical job and it takes its toll”, but always with an eye on continuing. fulfilling years.
Enrique says that many years ago they became independent because “the franchise ended up going bankrupt”, but “we were able to keep the name, we even already have their rights”. “There is no longer any Pianeta Espresso, only one on the Peninsula, which at the moment does not affect us and that is why we have not required the use of the brand either”, details the eldest of the Martínez brothers.
What began as a way to diversify activity has also become the lifeline for the construction company, which had a very difficult time with the financial crisis of 2008. “The office continued to work on the few projects that came in and my brothers and I focused here.” An involvement of all the brothers who, as Enrique confesses, “helped the cafeteria take off”.
When asked what is the secret to staying open for 25 years in an environment where the trend is to open and close businesses almost continuously, Enrique assures that “the treatment of the staff. It is what we value the most in the reviews”. “We have a good work environment -he continues- and although the workers, of course, come and go, it has always been a very customer-friendly work team”.
Very loyal customers who have lived with the Martínez family the evolution of the creperie to the current tapas menu that allows them to continue competing with the businesses in their surroundings with the highest quality.
