DOMO Restaurant, Sheffield

From a Dream to a Growing Reality

We opened Domo in 2019, me and my husband Raffa. We’d both had backgrounds in restaurants. We left school and went straight into hospitality, and we met about 15 years before opening Domo while working at Piccolino in Sheffield.

It had always been our dream to open our own place, but we didn’t have the finances at first, so we were saving and saving for years.

Eventually, we started looking at units and came across this one. Even though it was a complete building site, we just fell in love with it straight away and thought, this is the one. It really felt like now or never. So we took out a lot of business loans and just went for it. It was our passion and our end goal, so we committed fully.

Domo is a Sardinian restaurant. Raffa is Sardinian and all his family are Sardinian, so the inspiration comes directly from there. We try to keep it as Sardinian as possible. We don’t really want to be classed as Italian because there are lots of things on the menu that you just won’t find elsewhere. That’s what makes us who we are.

The early days and surviving COVID

Opening Domo was fun. There was that initial buzz and interest, but we were literally in the middle of a building site. I was working constantly trying to get us known, using social media and every avenue I could think of to get our name out there.

Then, eight months in, COVID hit. That was a moment where we genuinely didn’t know what we were going to do. We had all these business loans and no one was giving us a break. We had to adapt quickly, so we turned ourselves into a little pizza takeaway.

My husband and my eldest son worked tirelessly making pizzas, and as the rules changed, we adapted again. We were doing big tray bakes of lasagne and delivering them to local residents. Somehow, we survived lockdown and managed to keep paying the loans.

When we finally reopened, with Eat Out to Help Out and outdoor dining, it actually worked in our favour. We have a huge terrace, so when reopening was allowed, we were really busy. That was the point where we thought, what we’ve done has actually paid off. Since then, it’s just got busier and busier.

Brexit, Energy & Cost of Living Challenges

Covid was the first big challenge, and then came Brexit, rising costs across the board, and the energy crisis.

Our energy bills literally quadrupled overnight, and we don’t use gas at all, it’s purely electricity. You can only raise prices so much without looking ridiculous, and not everyone understands how much work and cost goes into putting a dish on a plate. Minimum wage rises every year too.

To be honest, it’s felt like one constant battle from after Covid until now, and it still is. Prices keep rising, and because we import a lot of our products directly from Sardinia, that’s become more expensive too. So, our focus is on keeping the restaurant as busy as possible, and that’s what we continue to work on.

Growing our brand and international reputation

We’re really proud that we’re still going strong. Along the way, we’ve had some amazing moments, like winning local awards and being recognised nationally. We’ve been in the Good Food Guide for a good few years now. We’ve had food critics visit from big newspapers, people we never thought would even know about us.

Jay Rayner even dropped in on us which was a moment we’ll never forget!

We’ve been featured in newspapers in Sardinia, including Raffa’s hometown, where they’ve acknowledged what we’re doing and thanked us for spreading Sardinian tradition in the UK. There aren’t many Sardinian restaurants here, which makes what we do quite unique.

More recently, we were featured in Condé Nast Traveller. That was a real pinch-me moment. It’s something I’ve always read and admired, and suddenly we were in it ourselves.

What I love about the job

For me, it’s the people. Every day you’re surrounded by people. Before opening Domo, I worked in reception and events management roles, and I’ve always loved meeting people.

Now, it’s constant. I’ll be sat here working and end up chatting to guests, contractors, or people we work with. No two days are the same, and that’s what I love.

The future: Expansion and new projects

We recently announced that we’re opening another restaurant in Leeds, hopefully around April. To be honest, I’m terrible at keeping secrets, so most of our guests already knew!

When we opened Domo, we always said we’d do one site and that would be it, because it was so stressful.

Then a few years in, we got itchy feet and opened Kelu Sky Bar, which is a small side business. After that, we started looking at other cities. We’ve both spent a lot of time in Leeds and worked there, and we love it. We found a site we’re really excited about, so Leeds is next.

After that, we’ll sit with it for a few years and see where we’re at. If we’re ever going to open anywhere else, we’ve always said we’d love to do something abroad, maybe in Sardinia or somewhere we love holidaying. But for now, Leeds is the focus.

Having Gravitate on our side

When we first opened, we really didn’t have a clue, and I tried to do a lot of it myself before realising that was impossible. We initially worked with a different accountant, but over time I felt completely out of control. VAT bills and tax bills would come in, and I genuinely didn’t understand where the numbers were coming from.

We were recommended Gravitate, and after speaking to Jonathan, I explained that accountancy wasn’t my forte, but I really wanted to feel more in touch with what was going on. One of the things I’ve loved most is that no question feels like a stupid question. I’m constantly asking, what’s this, why is this, and it’s always explained clearly.

I genuinely feel like the team is on our side, trying to save us money and help us make better decisions year on year. What we save far outweighs what we spend on the service, and it feels like a real investment. Everyone is lovely and personable, and shortly after switching, I remember thinking, why didn’t I do this sooner.

I’ve recommended Gravitate to loads of people. As a business owner, you have so much on your mind, and they take a huge amount of stress away. For me, that’s priceless.

We love working with Sarah and and the wonderful Domo Team. Assistant Client Finance Director, Aarron Clarke and the Gravitate team work in close partnership with clients to help them know their numbers and boost financial resilience.

Contact Us