Woman-led Turkish restaurant expands with second Cardiff site
A Turkish restaurant brand, led by three women, has expanded with the opening of a 100-cover venue in Cardiff city centre, creating a further 16 jobs.
Longa, which first opened the doors to its Whitchurch Road café in 2019, has gone on to become a firm favourite go-to eatery for local people and those living further afield. Quickly becoming renowned for its menus which celebrate and share the rich, diverse flavours of Turkish cuisine, the new Park Place restaurant offers an all-day breakfast menu, whilst expanding to capture an evening clientele with a separate menu.
Longa, which was founded in 2019 by sisters Gizem Yorgun and Simge Yalcin, now operates with three women at the helm after actress Pinar Ogun joined the business in 2023. The new venture was supported with a £120,000 finance package from BCRS Business Loans, via the British Business Bank’s £130m Investment Fund for Wales and Community Investment Enterprise Fund (CIEF), managed by responsible finance provider Social Investment Scotland (SIS).
Simge explains: “Our Whitchurch Road café has been a great success and we knew it was only a matter of time before we dipped our toes into the possibility of opening a second restaurant, but we needed to find for the perfect premises.
“When we saw the space on Park Place we knew that it was perfect, but with spiralling costs, due to changes in construction and building quotes, we needed further support to realise our dreams.”
It was then that the trio turned to BCRS Business Loans, the Smaller Business Loans fund manager of the Investment Fund for Wales, where they worked directly with Business Development Manager, Niki Haggerty-James.
Gizem said: “We found ourselves in a situation where we had gone too far in our dream of bringing the restaurant to fruition that we simply couldn’t turn back. Niki was fantastic, quickly understanding our business, and the challenges we faced, and without her support, and the finance, Longa wouldn’t be here.”
Pinar added: “BCRS’ support goes so much further than helping us to secure finance, Niki has been overwhelmingly positive in supporting our entire venture.
“Longa in Park Place has only been open for a matter of weeks, but we are already seeing the impact. Just this weekend we saw over 300 covers and our bookings for the weekends are huge! We can’t wait for more people to experience our food, after all it’s pretty amazing to sit back and watch their reactions, all the while knowing we created that plate.”
Niki Haggerty-James, business development manager at BCRS Business Loans, said: “Longa is fantastic and it’s wonderful to support a business that is both women and ethnic-led. Gizem, Simge and Pinar are creating something very special that it abundantly evident from just peeking into one of the restaurants.
“The opening of the Park Place site demonstrates their passion to bring Turkish cuisine to Cardiff, so that people can experience the true taste of an authentic menu and we are delighted that in doing so the trio have expanded to employ an increasing workforce.
“We want to champion and support more businesses that are female and ethnic-led, advancing the growth of entrepreneurship across Wales. BCRS are a story-based lender, and our mission is to make a positive social and economic impact which Longa are demonstrating. From seeing the success of Longa we are sure this won’t be the last restaurant opening.”
Bethan Bannister, senior investment manager, Nations and Regions Funds at the British Business Bank, said: “The British Business Bank is delighted to support this successful female led business via the Investment Fund for Wales as they look to scale and grow.
“The team behind Longa is driven, with an existing loyal following, and we look forward to tracking the success of their new city centre outpost as it establishes itself on the Cardiff food and drink scene.”
Having worked with SMEs unable to access finance from traditional sources in the West Midlands since 2002, BCRS Business Loans has expanded into Wales to help smaller businesses there prosper and thrive under the fund, which was officially launched in Cardiff in November 2023.
Since BCRS was founded as a community development financial institution in 2002, it has provided loans worth more than £90 million to businesses across the West Midlands and Wales. A social impact report for the last financial year showed BCRS lent £5.8m to 72 businesses, safeguarding 675 jobs and creating 186 roles, adding £29.9m in value to the economy of the West Midlands, surrounding regions and Wales.