Winning awards and winning insurance with Taquero

Bionic caught up with Dan Lindsay, an award-winning Nottingham restaurateur whose latest venture – Taquero – brings a bit of Mexico to the East Midlands.  

How did he get started? What have been his greatest achievements? What does he see as his biggest challenge? And what did he think when he found out he’d won his business insurance free for a year? 

How does it feel to win free insurance for a year? 

“It was quite a shock! When I initially got the email, I thought ‘Is this some kind of spam email?’ You get those quite regularly when you’re in business. 

“Then I read more into it and realised it was real. It was a really amazing surprise. So often we’re being told about increased costs and so on, so it was nice to be told we’re getting something back!” 

If you’d like the chance to be like Dan and win your insurance free for a year, the next prize draw will take place on May 5, 2025. Call 0800 188 4960 today to get started (T&Cs apply).

Dan has been a Bionic customer for about ten years. Originally a business energy customer, Dan used to get his insurance through another broker until he found out Bionic could help him sort it. 

“I did use brokers prior. We found you guys through originally doing our energy with you. Looked at the insurance side of it and we’ve dealt with some really professional people. And saved money! 

“I never really thought to try anyone else – you’re using a broker, and you think you’re getting the best opportunities and the best prices. We just explored it and saved a small fortune.” 

Music to our ears, Dan. But how does he find the experience of arranging his business insurance through Bionic? 

“We have different policies for all three sites, all with different renewal dates. Bionic makes the renewal process really simple by getting in touch with me when each is due. We go through the details, and it’s all sorted for another year. 

“And call me old school but the human element is really important when sorting my insurance. I like to be able to speak to someone to get the reassurance that everything is correct and in order.” 

Getting an early foothold in the hospitality business 

Dan has been in catering and hospitality his entire working life. But how did he get started? 

“I started when I was 15 and built up to the point where we have three businesses in Nottingham. Independent businesses specialising in tapas and, the most recent one [Taquero], in tacos and margaritas. 

“I worked in somewhere locally when I was a kid, fell in love with the industry. I loved socialising and the whole ethos of the catering industry.” 

And from those humble beginnings has grown three successful restaurants. But how do you make that transition from one site to multiple sites? 

“It was a slow move. You need to get these things right. Especially being different concepts – I wasn’t just repeating the same thing again. There are lots of challenges on the way and you learn as you go along. 

“I wouldn’t say it gets easier, but you get to understand more about how it works, the more you do.”  

And Dan definitely seems to know how it works. As well as running two other sites, he took an old, run-down and abandoned Chinese supermarket and turned it into a stunning-looking, contemporary Mexican restaurant. 

It was clearly a huge undertaking, but has it been Dan’s greatest achievement in business? And was it his biggest challenge? 

The biggest challenges of running a business (or three) 

It’s fair to say the 2020s have been challenging for business owners across the country. As Dan explains, navigating a path through the pandemic wasn’t easy. 

He, like many others in hospitality, turned his business into a takeaway during the dark days of lockdown. But the whole period was challenging on many levels. 

“Dealing with staff, keeping people happy, and diversifying the business. Moving into takeaway. Helping out with charities, feeding the homeless and people who couldn’t get out. All those things were a real challenge, and I don’t think I’ll have a harder challenge than that.” 

The tapas business was the most adaptable, and Dan’s team were making up to 3,000 meals a week for people who couldn’t get out. A true tale of small business adaptability and resilience. And all while worrying whether he’d come out of the other side with a business at all. 

But the community is also important to Dan. And the local business community pulled together to help out wherever they could. 

“We wanted to help out. It’s nice to give something back. We had donations of food from local supermarkets. It was a real camaraderie.” 

There are also some new challenges on the way, not least the rise in National Insurance Contributions (NICs), that will take effect from April 6. 

“It’s a real challenge. In all the time I’ve been in the industry, which is 25 years now, we’ve been through a pretty big recession in 2008 – that was a challenge – but this just feels like everything coming together at the same time. 

“We’re being hit with huge price increases, minimum wage, National Insurance is making a big difference to us, and consumer spending has gone down. The tricky part is finding somewhere in the middle where you can still make a profit. 

“This is where it can help to have Bionic sorting our restaurant insurance and getting the best price.” 

A great point from Dan. Prices are going up everywhere, while people’s spending power is, at best, standing still. As a business owner, you can put prices up to cover these extra costs, but you risk pricing your customers out. 

Similarly, you could change to a cheaper supplier for your products, but a drop in quality could hit your reputation and customer loyalty. 

But keeping on top of your utility contracts and switching when necessary means you should be able to cut costs on things like energy, insurance, and broadband, without impacting the quality of your goods or services. 

And with that, let’s finish on a high and talk about the best bits of running a business. 

Tucking into the triumphs and the enjoyable bits of being a small business owner 

So, to end on the positives, Dan revealed what he loves most about being a business owner. 

“I love dealing with people as much as possible. It’s a service industry so I’m a business owner that not only gets to deal with staff but relationships with customers and suppliers. 

“I enjoy the challenges that catering brings. You’ve got to love what you do and if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it.” 

Dan travelled to Mexico to do some research into the food and culture before launching this latest venture. This inspired not only the menu but also the beautifully designed interior and exterior of Taquero. A project which took 14 months. 

“There were times along the way when I probably thought the last thing I want to be is a business owner. But then when it all comes together, and you see it full, and you see people enjoying themselves, you know it was all worthwhile.” 

To find out more, check out the Taquero website. 

And to hear more from Dan, including what he’d do differently if he was starting out again and what advice he’d give to a new business owner, you can watch the full 15-minute interview over on the Bionic Business YouTube channel.