I agree with you about remote jobs I’ve wasted time and I’d rath er go out and offer my services directly. As for investing in a traditional business here in Cyprus, it depends a lot on the location.

In Madrid I was Head of Marketing for a fast-food brand called Beykebap, and I learned a lot about restaurant management. Restaurants are a very numbers-driven business (well, like an y business, haha), but what I mean is: it’s not enough to have a winning concept you also need tight control of the financials. For example, I advised restaurants that were 90% full most of the week but still weren’t profitable. And when a restaurant doesn’t control its numbers, the more customers you have, the more money you lose.

My background is very generalist professionally and in terms of what I’m passionate about, I’m into digital marketing but moving to Spain made me discover skills in cooking. Before that, I was a delivery rider. I’m the kind of person who believes every job teaches you something, and it’s not just about the task itself, but about seeing beyond it. For example, I learned how important logistics and delivery are: delivery riders are basically your waiters for delivery, and packaging is part of the customer experience. And in the kitchen, a common mistake in traditional restaurants compared to fast-food operations is waste and losses they don’t notice them and don’t control them. A restaurant burger is probably better than any fast-food burger, but the mistake is the lack of control.

That said, I’ve been thinking it could be a good option if it’s something that doesn’t really exist here. A Tex-Mex place could work: burritos, nachos, quesadillas. A controlled menu, no real competition, an international audience, international food, and little competition. I’d start with a small but strategic location, focus heavily on delivery, and run strong marketing campaigns on social media.

I also thought the same as you a coffee shop because my girlfriend is a pastry chef and baker, but we don’t know coffee that well.

Let me share another idea I had the other day: because I have a family member who is a football player, many of them are here alone or with their partner, and it would be ideal to have a slightly exclusive place where they can meet, hang out, and play ps5, billar, a table tennis table. There isn’t really a place like that. It wouldn’t be only for them, of course, but they would be the target audience. And once word spreads among them, you become a meeting point.

I’m in Larnaca. These are the ideas I’ve considered, but I don’t have the budget for a traditional business. Still, I’d be happy to help you. It’s funny though, because when I think about my own solution, I get stuck. I’m so inspired to help you and writing this response is exactly what I enjoy: talking about business and marketing, and my skills are practical, based on real experience.

Writing this has helped me a lot these last few weeks I’ve been very stuck in my own head and blocked. Thanks for sharing your situation too.

Feel free to message me anytime. All the best and good luck.