About YAPONAMAMA brand

Evgeniy Pak on how YAPONAMAMA chain is growing in Tashkent and expanding its audience through Wolt. How YAPONAMAMA Appeared in Tashkent and how the chain finds new customers with the help of Wolt.

💡 Wolt Uzbekistan, together with weproject.media and Gorod24, is launching a series of interviews with Tashkent restaurateurs — the people shaping the capital’s gastronomic scene. The first hero of the series is Evgeniy Pak, restaurateur and entrepreneur, founder of the YAPONAMAMA chain. 🔹 About Evgeniy: I came into the restaurant business with a simple desire — to create places with delicious food that people truly want to return to. It all started with a small project and the understanding that food should be made with quality and soul. Over time, this grew into a structured business where not only food matters, but also the team, well-built processes, and internal culture. 🔹 About the Project: We chose a format that was close to me and also understandable for people in our city. We aimed to create a venue with a recognizable and beloved cuisine, while ensuring a high level of quality and service — which means long-term operation, guest trust, and a sustainable business. Our main distinction is stability and love for what we do. A guest knows that on any day they will receive the same high-quality product, service, and atmosphere. People return to places where they feel comfortable and respected. Moreover, we are launching an eco product — we have started growing our own fish. In recent years, guests have become more demanding and conscious. Today, speed, convenience, quality, brand honesty, and respect for guests’ time are important. This means that a business must offer more meaning and real value. 🔹 About Working with Wolt: We have been working with Wolt for several years. The partnership gave us an additional sales channel, expanded our reach, and brought in a new audience that might not have known about us before. I like that it is a clear and convenient tool from an operational perspective. After connecting with Wolt, we noticed increased brand awareness and a stable flow of orders. It was interesting to see that delivery affects not only online sales — many guests first get to know us through delivery and then come to the restaurant. With an online delivery, a new audience has emerged: families, offices, and people who value comfort and wish to save time. Online delivery has formed new habits — regular orders, favorite items, and brand loyalty. 🔹 Specifics of the Restaurant Business: The main challenges are staffing, rising costs, and the need to maintain a high level of quality every day. Today, those who build systems and know how to adapt quickly are the ones who win. Talking about the influence of YAPONAMAMA on the city and people’s lives, we create places for communication, meetings, and family gatherings. For us the most important things are service culture, respect for the guest, and shaping a healthy attitude toward food and toward each other. 🔹 Plans: Our plans include continued development: launching new chain formats, scaling globally through franchising and our own restaurants, implementing robots and new technologies, strengthening the online direction, and creating a clean eco product — from growing fish, meat, and poultry to cultivating our own vegetables. 🔹 Recommendations: You should not start without understanding the numbers and the system. It is important to focus on the team, processes, and quality, not just a beautiful idea. A restaurant is daily work, not a one-time project. If you are ready to be involved 24/7 and truly love people — this is for you.