Alexander Vorobyov

Alexander Vorobyov is a Moscow restaurateur and founder of the large-scale project The Toy Moscow.

AR: Alexander, each of your new projects is becoming more and more complicated. Do you like to set yourself the high standards?

Alexander Vorobyov: Of course! This is an integral part of my development, both professional and personal. The larger and more significant the goal is, the more interesting it is to go for it and the more you learn in the process of achieving it. I believe in destiny, therefore in restaurant business I only move forward. And now, as soon as the first euphoria after the opening of The Toy Moscow began to “fade away” and the project can be said to have paid off, I proceeded planning and building a new restaurant in Miami.

AR: Are you not afraid of competition when there are many other successful restaurant projects that have gone through more than one crisis? What new things do you offer to a competitive market?

Alexander Vorobyov: Healthy competition is a sign of a stable developing market, therefore I am not only not afraid of it, but also rejoice when it exists. This means that each new player must go to a new level in business, so as not to give way to the "mastodons" that you are talking about - successful restaurateurs and chain establishments. In the case of  The Toy Moscow, not only a rich entertaining program, but also the general concept of the restaurant brought us to the top level: generous portions of Italian cuisine, the largest wine list in the capital and night format.

AR: What was your inspiration when creating the new project “The Toy Moscow”?

Alexander Vorobyov: In the process of my work –– both during project planning and during their implementation –– I am always guided by my inner voice. The most interesting ideas, of course, are born during travelling - it gives me great pleasure to explore new countries and get acquainted with different cultures. So, I like the Italian approach to hospitality and generous portions, an abundance of seafood. In Toy Moscow, together with the chef Stanislav Balaev, I tried to recreate this flavor by including classic dishes in the author's interpretation in the menu. In addition, I often draw inspiration from objects of art - not only paintings, but music and films.

AR: What is first for you in a new project: an idea or calculation?

Alexander Vorobyov: First of all, this, of course, it is an idea. There are many ways to make money from a cold calculation, but my story with The Toy Moscow is completely different. In this project, I invested a piece of my soul and myself, that now I dare not to call it commercial project only. I will not hide the fact that I keep the financial side under my strict control, but this, in my opinion, is not a drawback: profit is what makes The Toy come out and remain at a high level, surprising its guests every day.

AR: When did you realize that the metropolitan audience needs not only gastronomic delights, but also an enchanting atmosphere?

Alexander Vorobyov: It began when little by little the chic of “fat” two thousandths began to fade: people began to gradually get used to the fact that you can relax not only expensive, but also with taste. At the same time, there were few places in Moscow where one could not only eat, but also enjoy the atmosphere of the holiday, but in my opinion there were not at all. Probably the first such experience I got while working in other projects, then I developed the concept of a dance restaurant, which turned out to be very successful. On Thursdays, I threw parties at which the elected Moscow audience gathered, the best artists and DJs came, and the reservations were made a few weeks in advance. It can be said that it was at that time that I realized that such a format was in demand by the metropolitan audience, which means it needs to be embodied in a special, conceptually new institution.

AR: Was the location on Trekhgorka chosen intetionally?

Alexander Vorobyov: We have a special story with the mansion on Trekhgorka. I had hatched the idea for a long time, but I couldn’t find the right place to put it into practice - there was no certainty that everything would be exactly as I intended. And finally, this location appeared in the public domain, earlier there were other entertainment venues - each of them for some reason suspended its activities. Of course, this fact was one of the reasons for my friends to dissuade me from building, because before me there was no one lingering and did not achieve resounding success. At first I was skeptical and didn’t immediately understand how to work with such a “characteristic” building, but retreating is not my credo - all that remained was to make efforts so that the idea of The Toy Moscow finally found a “home”. We took, in fact, an empty box, which we filled with content: here is a completely different ergonomics of space, even the division into floors that you now see, was not. In the new concept, the first housed a kitchen, and the second a several-level room. The restaurant’s great pride is the entrance group, for which we drove huge display windows across the city: on the roads they looked like spaceships made of glass.

AR: How do you think, did you manage to fully realize everything you had in mind?

Alexander Vorobyov: For me, there is never enough of anything; I am constantly in development. It always seems to me that you can do even better, even more, figuratively, to jump above your head. But speaking of The Toy Moscow, this is a project that is as close to my own ideal as possible. It was not in vain that I went to its discovery for so many years - during this time I managed to think through every detail, assemble the best team and fully comprehend the scale of the project that I intend to implement. Speaking of my plans - yes, they were fully implemented, but this does not mean that from that moment The Toy starts to stagnate - I make every effort to ensure that the venture becomes better and more interesting every month.

AR: How would you describe the concept of The Toy Moscow restaurant in three words?

Alexander Vorobyov: Style, show, gastronomy.

AR: Do you plan to go beyond Russia?

Alexander Vorobyov: Yes, of course, I would like to try myself as a restaurateur not only on the Russian market, therefore, according to my current plans and goals I want to open The Toy in Miami, and then in other major cities of the world. I have already taken some steps in this direction, now I am actively studying the market and the potential guests. I hope that soon I can share the results of the work done.

AR: If so, when opening a restaurant abroad, how much do you count on the Russian public?

Alexander Vorobyov: Speaking specifically about the restaurant in Miami, I don’t expect it at all. I rather aim to study the features of the restaurant business in the USA as much as possible and develop a strategy for attracting American customers to be sure of my project and its success. Nevertheless, access to the international market for me is, first of all, a task that involves careful and painstaking work with the audience of each individual country, and not only transfer of an venture from Russia for our tourists and emigrants.

AR: Do you have one global goal?

Alexander Vorobyov: Probably, if you choose one and the most global one, then I just designated it above. Now for me this is a priority goal, I have challenged not only other market players, but also myself - successfully enter the international market and increase the brand awareness of The Toy.

AR: When selecting employees, do you pay attention to their character, personal qualities, or only to professionalism?

Alexander Vorobyov: Of course, we pay attention to the personal and professional qualities of employees. We carefully select not only narrow-profile specialists, but also easy-going, optimistic and cheerful people. It is important for us that all the staff members are friendly and helpful, not just in words. Guests often note that at The Toy, not only the kitchen and the show are on top, but also the service. In addition, the restaurant operates in the night mode - we start at 18:00, so all the employees manage to get enough sleep, put themselves in order and come to work on time and in a good mood to pass it on to everyone with whom they will have to deal in the evening.

AR: How do you see the “The Toy Moscow” project in 5 years?

Alexander Vorobyov: In my plans, I would like to see The Toy Moscow as the anchor and flagman project of the future international network. The restaurant was awarded a number of prestigious awards: received a diploma for the best interior design at the BEST PUBLIC SPACE 2019 architectural award, won the Fashion TV 2019 annual award in the nomination “The most fashionable restaurant in Moscow” and “Best dance restaurant” according to the Night2Day portal. Now we are making up the program until the summer, every month we plan to surprise guests with gastronomic shows, cultural events or art performances. One thing I can say for sure - we will definitely not stand still, because in any business, including the restaurant business, it is very important to follow the current market trends in order to maintain a leading position.

AR: What is success in your understanding?

Alexander Vorobyov: Now I look at all concepts through the prism of my activity, therefore, the word “success” gives me an association with a full audience and happy guests who thank me personally –– on social networks or by phone. Nothing says more about the success of the restaurant than the fact that people want to return there and prepare in advance for the evening in our establishment - they buy dresses and suits, book tables, plan the evening. If we talk about what personal success means to me, then I can’t even say for sure whether I have achieved it at the moment. Looking back, I do not regret anything - every step in my life has led me to where I am now, I am realizing my goals and every day I see how people enjoy the result of my work. Without a doubt, I have something to strive for, but who knows, maybe this is success?

AR: How many restaurants do you want to open? Ideally?

Alexander Vorobyov: Honestly, this question even put me in a stupor a little. I do not think in such categories - for me the ideal is not the number of restaurants, but their quality. I want to open so many restaurants that I can successfully manage each of them. Of course, at some point most of the powers and responsibilities will have to be delegated, but I still would not want to completely lose this feeling when you know that a restaurant is your brainchild, your solo project, a unique embodiment of what you saw in your wildest dreams.