Café Nordpark: New opening with METRO support

"Improvisation is everything," says Ciro Colella. No cable internet in the listed park? So, a radio transmitter is installed on the café roof. The grease separator is only available after the soft opening date? "Then we'll use the food truck for hot meals at the beginning," explains Ciro pragmatically. Just like him, nothing can shock his wife Uta so quickly. Together, the two have been self-employed in the Düsseldorf restaurant scene for years and have been running the Landhaus Freemann since 2015. The couple has now embarked on a new project: the Nordpark Café - an institution that first opened in 1960, located in Düsseldorf's historic Nordpark near the Aquazoo and trade fair centre.

The café had been on the couple's minds for some time. "Basically, from the first time we were here on the playground, 22 years ago," says Uta, who grew up in the neighbourhood herself and raised four children with her husband Ciro. In 2024, the time had come: after several changes of operator, the opportunity arose to take over the café. "We want to offer more than just plain coffee and cake," explains Uta. But the prices should be reasonable . "Families should be able to afford it," emphasises Ciro. The motto: a brand new start please.

Nordpark Café: starting from scratch

'We started from scratch in Nordpark,' reports METRO Customer Manager Peter Schmidt. He has been looking after Uta and Ciro Colella for a good ten years. "They are already top delivery customers with Landhaus Freemann." For the reopening of the Nordpark Café, the customer manager provided the restaurateurs with Pentagast offers - professional kitchen equipment at a favourable price thanks to a cooperation with Germany's largest association of commercial kitchen equipment suppliers. From technical equipment to food supplies and digital solutions: Everything was needed. And METRO has everything in its repertoire.

"I know what makes them tick," says the long-standing customer manager about the experienced catering couple. And the other way round? "It's fun to develop ideas together," says Uta Colella. The most important thing for the restaurant owners: reliability and having each other's backs. "Without having to deal with it for a long time."

Everything from a single source with METRO

Just like with the POS system DISH POS Thanks to the simple user interface, the ordering and payment system works intuitively. And yet it was still a challenge at first - it only turned out at the installation date that the required internet cable was missing. But: "There's a solution for every problem," says Customer Manager Peter Schmidt. And that was the case here too. That's what Uta and Ciro Colella find so practical: "With Peter, we have a fixed point of contact and get everything from a single source at METRO." Be it induction cookers from METRO's own brand, patio chairs ordered online via www.metro.de or the website with reservation system from METRO subsidiary DISH, which the restaurateurs use with their Landhaus Freemann.

The newly opened Nordpark Café now offers 150 indoor seats, with an additional 250 self-service seats on the terrace in summer. "In the evenings, there are sundowners and live music, a colourful mix of funk and jazz, indie rock and techno," says Uta Colella, describing her concept. She is also responsible for the interior, from the floral wallpaper to the creative design of the barrier-free toilet - as a party room with a disco ball. Uta and Ciro Colella are convinced that special extras like these are what counts. "There are thousands of awesome chefs," says Ciro. But: "A restaurateur is someone who has fun when others are happy."