Eamonn Devlin (seated) Head Chef, Charlotte Harper (seated) Kitchen Porter, Francesca Berardi (seated) Commis Chef, James Southers Head Waiter, and Alex Wyatt, owner of Bocca Italian
A former art director has served up new jobs in Menai Bridge after opening a traditional Italian restaurant.
Alex Wyatt, who has returned to the island after 20 years working in set design for TV dramas, including BBC series Pobl y Cwm and Hollyoaks, has opened Bocca Italian after accessing support for a range of services through Business Wales.
The Welsh Government’s business support service provided expert advice to help Alex and her husband Jamie turn their passion for Italian cuisine into a business.
Assistance ranged from helping to draw up contracts for their staff to clarifying their environmental responsibilities, as well as putting the couple in touch with other organisations that can provide additional support.
Having initially received assistance from Anglesey business development agency Menter Môn, which provides insight and inspiration to people on the island looking to set up a business, Alex was referred to Business Wales for further support.
Three months after opening, the restaurant is now firmly established as part of Menai Bridge’s busy restaurant community, and Alex said that the one-to-one assistance provided by Business Wales helped her fulfil her plans of running her own restaurant.
Alex said: “My husband and I regularly eat out in Manchester and Cheshire, and we recognised there was a gap in the market on Anglesey for Italian food, which we both love.
“I went to a three-day Menter Môn workshop on setting up a business, and they said that once up and running, you can go to Business Wales for further support.
“Environmental information and support in writing our staff’s contracts was the main focus of what I needed. I wanted to make sure that we had contracts that were properly drawn up, with the right rules and information on issues like holidays, job hours and sickness, which protects both the business and the employees.
“Lowri, my advisor, couldn’t have been more helpful. She helped draw up all the details and knew the legalities inside out. I found it really beneficial to go through the process together.
“They also referred us on to other services, like the Job Centre and Jobs Growth Wales. We’ve now hired four members of staff, two of which came through Jobs Growth Wales.
“There’s a great community of restaurant owners in Menai Bridge, some of which couldn’t believe the support that I’ve received from Business Wales.
“I’d definitely recommend other businesses get in contact to see how Business Wales can be of assistance.”
Business Wales advisor Lowri Dundee, who helped put together the employment contracts for Bocca Italian, said: “Schemes like Jobs Growth Wales have seen businesses employ people for the first time, and I’m regularly working with people like Alex to put together contracts that are tailor-made for their business.
“There’s a lot of things for employers to consider when putting together a contract, from company policies to statutory requirements like employee insurance, registering with HMRC and the new pensions regulations. It pays dividends to seek professional advice to ensure contracts are right from the start.
“Working with partnership organisations like Menter Môn, Jobs Growth Wales and the Job Centre, as well as private sector organisations where appropriate, has made a big difference to the businesses we work with.
“All of us have the same objective, which is to do whatever we can to develop the Welsh economy. We’re increasingly seeing partner organisations refer to each other, which makes it even easier for Welsh businesses to access free, expert advice.”
Business Wales is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.
For expert advice and guidance on growing your business, call Business Wales on 03000 6 03000, follow Business Wales on Twitter @_businesswales, or visit www.business.wales.gov.uk.
