Hidden Gems: Meet Fasil Tesfaye of GoJo By Goorsha

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fasil Tesfaye.

Hi Fasil, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I started Goorsha Ethiopian restaurant in 2017. I had been operating a Big Island Smoothies for 14 years in South pint mall and Crabtree Mall before opening Goorsha. Goorsha has been successful as a great addition to Durham’s diverse restaurant seen. During the pandemic, we were as much venerable as the entire industry was. During this time, I had to find a way to cut cost and increase revenue. We were using the current space for Gojo as venue place when we have large group. During this time, I decided to covert the space to a coffee shop that complements the restaurant and use the odor area to get more out of the outdoor setting area. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The most difficult time has been during the pandemic. This is when I was working with minimal stuff trying to figure out the finance, run the business, family, and work till 3 a.m. to convert Gojo into a coffee shop. It was lots of 18-hour days. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
Gojo is a place to slow down and enjoy a meal, coffee, or drinks with friends and family. Of course, in the Ethiopian culture, friends are treated and become one as a family, so come into Gojo and be embraced by the culture, ceremonies, traditions, and people that are always happy to see you and are ready to share the love of delicious food and great coffee with you! 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think anyone who is in the business of owning restaurant is a risk taker. Those of us who are in it knows all the risk, but we don’t take a risk without knowing the answer to what we have to do to mitigate the risk. I took the risk of building out Gojo in the middle of the pandemic, knowing if anything, it will generate revenue to pay itself and keep my employees till we get to the three side of the pandemic. If it work it will generate revenue to complement Goorsha. Not only that, I achieved that our customer love the space, and we even started a late-night music and bar in the space. We host the only Afro-pop music every Friday in Durham. We are bringing the African diaspora together to share our diverse music culture to Durham. 

Contact Info:

• Website: Gojobygoorsha.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gojobygoorsha/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gojobygoorsha/