Cafe Yodfat was established as a fulfillment of a private dream and professional development of Sharon Perez. Sharon wanted to open the place where you would like to sit and enjoy, a beautiful and special place on the terrace overlooking a Galilean landscape, with fine and healthy food. A fun place to go and feel at home, like a neighborhood cafe. Over the years the coffee grew and became a restaurant open 7 days a week. “In the middle of the week, we also serve dinners and the place has become a major place in tourism in Misgav,” says Sharon. The cafe is located in Buka Yodfat, a unique shopping center at the entrance to Moshav Yodfat and near the Monkey Forest.
“I was a cook in other people’s restaurants, and I always felt that there were things I would have done differently,” Sharon shares. “At a certain point, the dream began to sprout, in parallel with the opening of the Yodfat commercial center, and there I saw potential to fulfill it. The opening was in 2015. This year we will celebrate 7 years.”
“Banks do not like restaurants”
“When we opened the laws were vague, secret.” Sharon says. “To this day, it is difficult to know what is expected of you in the Ministry of Health, for example. You have to open the business, and only after it works to change according to the requirements. Firefighting is a body that requires a permit but is difficult to obtain. “And of course, every year there are surprise visits that lead to changes in thousands of shekels for every whim. In addition, the laws over the years have only worsened and added more restrictions and difficulties: the credit law, the tips law, the new pension law, and of course taxes.”
“From the first moment you start a business. It’s important to come with patience, and great breathing, and hope that it will change over the years for the better. Overall, this is the least fun part of the business.”
“Banks don’t like restaurants,” says Sharon. “It’s a risky business and the credit is very low and limited. But over the years we built trust with the bank, we kept our commitments, and when I renovated the confectionery 3 months before the Corona broke out, the bank gave me a very large loan. “And he froze the loan until it reopened. That’s what saved the business from closing. Especially in the most difficult period, the bank was great and I was glad I didn’t take a loan from another body. For me, the bank is like a partner.”
“There is an atmosphere of a small village in the Galilee”
“We are sitting in the Lower Galilee, which is very pastoral but makes it difficult to get here,” she says. “It is not possible to pass through the neighborhood and enter. Everyone who comes to us arrived by car, there is no good public transportation. Another thing, we have no foreign tourists, and no foreign workers. We are different from restaurants in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It is difficult to find workers, because the young people have nothing to look for in Misgav and they leave for the big cities. They only come back when they want to start a family, and then they already have a ‘big’ profession and they do not want to be a waiter. Not all suppliers come to us because we are far away and those who come are once a week. There are also big benefits to this: we do not have dessert suppliers. We produce everything ourselves. We are a very family place and know a lot of our regular customers. Jews, Muslims and Christians from all around work together and we are really close, strong friendships are formed in the cafe and there is an atmosphere of a small village in the Galilee. It’s very special. “
“The profits from restaurants are not great and there is great seasonality,” Sharon shares. “During the summer and holidays we work frantically non-stop, it’s like a ticking factory, but it keeps us in weaker periods. In recent years, we work well. We have no network back, we stand on our own, and earn enough to support 50 workers. On the other hand If there were no wall guard / stretching operations here in the north / Corona every two years, then we could earn a lot more. He is very satisfying and happy. “
“I realized that if there was no hotel here, people would not stay,” she says in conclusion. “I am currently looking for a place to build a small hotel in the area, which will provide a solution for tourism and bring people from all over the country. I am currently studying for a master’s degree in hotel and tourism management at Ben Gurion University of the Negev.”
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