Jorge Hernández-Gil of Grupo Trocadero

JORGE HERNÁNDEZ-GIL

OF GRUPO TROCADERO

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF GRUPO TROCADERO Trocadero Arena

Some people would say that working with family is challenging but for Jorge Hernández-Gil, Grupo Trocadero’s General Director, it’s a strength. “Family knows you inside-out and this makes it easier to communicate and understand each other,” he says. Jorge is one of three brothers who are actively involved in the management of the business. His brother, Dionisio (‘Dioni’), first arrived in Marbella in 1996, after trying his hand at the world of restaurateurship in Madrid. Their father, Dionisio Hernández-Gil, one of Spain’s most renowned architects, had hoped that Dioni would finish his Law degree (he had a year left to complete). However, nobody can stop an entrepreneur with a vision, and Dioni’s heart belonged to the world of hospitality. At the age of 21, he founded various bars in Madrid, honing his craft via trial-and-error. For Dioni, every ‘failure’ or ‘mistake’ was simply an opportunity to grow.

“Call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you

need one” Jane Howard

AN EIGHT-RESTAURANT GROUP

The Group now has eight restaurants on the Coast: Trocadero Playa (on the Golden Mile), Trocadero Arena (in the Río Real beach area), Trocadero Sotogrande, Trocadero Benalmádena, Trocadero Estepona, Trocadero Petit Playa (in Marbella, near Trocadero Playa), Trocadero Tarifa, and Trocadero Casa de Botes (in Málaga). Soon there will be two more. “Tarifa will open this month and Casa de Botes will be ready by December,” Jorge says. The Casa de Botes, an emblematic structure located on Málaga’s port, was a hotly contested project. “The City Hall called for public bids on it. We were up against Antonio Banderas and the Grupo El Pimpi on the one hand, and a Mr. Spain and a famous basketball player on the other hand.” Trocadero’s bid was the winner, and the group immediately began carrying out the necessary reformations.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH

Eight is also the number of brothers and sisters that make up the Hernández-Gil family. Most of them are involved in Grupo Trocadero in some way. “My brother, Fernando was the architect for Trocadero Benalmádena. He had previously designed Trocadero Petit and Trocadero Zanzibar (a smaller bar adjacent to Trocadero Arena), but Benalmádena was his first large restaurant for the Group,” Jorge tells me. Brother Aldo, meanwhile, is in charge of the Group’s Purchasing Department. “He comes from the world of advertising but he had always taken charge of purchasing and negotiation for my mother’s finca in Cáceres.”

Although the rest of Jorge’s siblings are dedicated to different professions, many are involved in Grupo Trocadero. One sibling, for instance, has a furniture business in Madrid and many of his pieces grace the Group’s restaurants.

One of Jorge’s sisters is an artist who has created beautiful pieces for Trocadero’s dazzling interiors. Indeed, if you are a frequent diner at one of the Group’s restaurants, then you know that their interiors are often inspired by the wild, fearless animals and rolling grasslands of African landscapes. Jorge tells me, however, that “Trocadero is evolving and in our newer establishments, such as Trocadero Estepona and Tarifa, the design plays more with fabric and colours. ›

Trocadero Zanzibar

They very much house the essence of Trocadero, but they are far from being replicas of our other establishments.”

Jorge oversees the work of 700 employees in high season and around 450 in low season. In the realm of employment, one of Trocadero’s defining traits is stability. “We prefer to stay open all-year-round even though the winter season is quiet.” This enables management to count on experienced workers who have come to form part of a well-oiled machine.

Trocadero is not only a business for the HernándezGil family, but also the setting for some of the family’s most meaningful events. “I got married in Trocadero Sotogrande in 2018,” Jorge says, adding, “One year later, my daughter, who is now three years old, was born.”

Jorge sees the Group’s expansion as organic rather than ambitious. “When we open a new establishment, it’s because we find unique locations that fit in perfectly with our vision.” Currently, all restaurants are located within one-and-a-half hours from each other. The Group will be opening a new restaurant in the Plaza de los Delfines in Madrid in January, 2023, in a special locale that the brothers have celebrated many memorable events in.

Grupo Trocadero, whose heart and soul is family, fine food and good memories, is no less than a labour of love. The friendly service, longstanding staff and beautiful interiors are just a few reasons why, when it comes to long lunches or dinner with friends by the sea, Trocadero is always first choice for so many Marbellís, celebrities and dignitaries.

i www.grupotrocadero.com

Trocadero Petit Trocadero Playa