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Novak Djokovic has decided to branch out from tennis and open up a chain of restaurants in his homeland of
Serbia. In doing so, he has purchased the entire supply of a special kind of
cheese which is made from the milk of donkeys, so that he can put it onto his menu. Some people in the press have seen this as foolish folly, but has the former Wimbledon champion really lost the plot or is this a good way to set his restaurants apart?
The first thing to remember is that Djokovic is entering into this business from a somewhat different perspective than many people when they first start out in the hospitality industry. He is not gambling everything he has on the project, as he has a considerable amount of wealth to fall back on, and should this not work out he will not be entirely destitute. Djokovic's approach is however, quite risky, as he has tied himself into large amounts of an expensive product, which may not prove to be popular. That is the downside, but on the upside, he has given his restaurants a chance to offer something which no other has on its menu; therefore setting it apart.
As the exclusive buyer for the entire output of the Zasavica cheese company, Djokovic knows that he will have an uninterrupted supply of the soft cheese with a distinctive flavour. Fans of the cheese will have no choice but to eat at his restaurant and it is also likely to attract foodies keen to try something unique which cannot be experienced anywhere else. What Djokovic is also doing is buying local and tapping into the culinary tradition of the place where his restaurants are situated, which is commendable in itself. He is not trying to transport a concept and his bold move in signing up to purchase the entire output of donkey cheese from this supplier has already hit the headlines, so it has helped with his marketing already.
