20 Years of Building a Nigerian Restaurant in Germany: The Story Behind Treasure Restaurant
When we see a successful business, we often see the finished product.
We see the customers, the food, the beautiful space and the person behind it all smiling.
What we don’t always see are the years of work, uncertainty, sacrifice and the moments when that same person considered walking away.
That is the story behind Treasure Restaurant in Düsseldorf.
I sat down with its founder, Juliet, for Afrodites Space to understand what it really takes to build and sustain a Nigerian restaurant in Germany for 20 years.
And her story started long before Treasure Restaurant.
From Nigeria to Germany
Before moving to Germany, Juliet studied secretarial studies in Nigeria and worked as a secretary for several years. But entrepreneurship was already part of her life.
Her mother owned a restaurant, and Juliet grew up helping her. Even while working professionally, she would return to help at her mother’s restaurant whenever she could.
She also started a small business centre in Benin City, taking on typing and photocopying jobs alongside her regular work.
The name of that little business?
Treasure.
Years later, that same name would follow her to Germany.
The Dream Had to Wait
Juliet moved to Germany in 1998.
She already knew that she wanted to own a restaurant, but wanting to start a business and being legally able to start one were two different things.
Her residence status initially allowed her to work but did not permit self-employment. She says she had to wait several more years before receiving permission to become self-employed. Instead of abandoning the idea, she used the waiting period to research locations, costs and requirements.
In March 2006, Treasure Restaurant finally opened.
Twenty years later, it is still here.
The Part of Entrepreneurship Customers Don’t See
One of the most important parts of our conversation was Juliet’s honesty about the reality of running a restaurant.
Food has to be prepared whether customers eventually come or not. Sometimes food is prepared and has to be thrown away. The next day, you start again.
And then there is the time commitment.
Juliet described restaurant ownership as a business where you can feel as though you have very little life outside the work.
That pressure eventually became enough to make her consider quitting.
Not once.
Many times.
She explained that it wasn’t because the restaurant wasn’t doing well. She was simply exhausted.
At one point, she had even found a buyer. After almost 20 years, she thought perhaps it was finally time to stop, rest and enjoy her life.
Then she asked herself a simple question:
What would I do instead?
Her passion for the business ultimately kept her there.
Then Came COVID
Treasure Restaurant moved into its current location in 2019.
Then the pandemic arrived.
For a restaurant that had just invested heavily in a new location, the timing could hardly have been worse.
But an important part of the business Juliet had built over the years helped them survive: loyal customers from many different backgrounds.
During restrictions, customers would park outside and collect takeaway orders through the window.
Treasure survived.
That experience also shows why building a business is about much more than acquiring customers.
It’s about building relationships.
Why Customers Keep Coming Back
Juliet believes returning customers have been central to Treasure’s longevity.
Her philosophy is simple: quality food and good service.
She sources ingredients carefully, prepares many things herself and intentionally creates time to interact with customers. Some have been coming for years, and those customers introduce new people to the restaurant.
That relationship extends beyond selling a plate of food.
After almost three decades in Germany, Juliet says conversations with customers sometimes become conversations about life, stress and navigating Europe.
The restaurant has become a community space as much as a business.
Her Message to Women Afraid to Start
Towards the end of our conversation, I asked Juliet what she would say to a woman who feels stuck or is afraid of becoming self-employed in Germany.
Her answer came down to one word:
Determination.
She remembers people warning her about starting a business in Germany, particularly around taxes and bureaucracy. Her view today is that fear shouldn’t prevent someone from exploring an opportunity.
Challenges will come. The important thing is being prepared to face them rather than allowing fear to make the decision for you.
Twenty years of Treasure Restaurant don’t tell a story of an easy journey.
They tell a story of someone who knew what she wanted, waited until she could pursue it, built it, almost walked away from it, survived an extraordinary disruption and kept going.
And perhaps that’s the more useful version of success to see.
Not a journey without difficulty.
A journey that continued despite it.
Afrodites Space exists to document the lived experiences of Black women building careers, businesses and lives across Germany and Europe.
Juliet’s story is a reminder that building something meaningful doesn’t mean you’ll never become tired, question yourself or even consider walking away. Sometimes perseverance is simply deciding, once again, that what you’re building is still worth continuing.
Watch the full conversation with Juliet of Treasure Restaurant on Afrodites Space to hear her 20-year journey of entrepreneurship, resilience and building a Nigerian business in Germany.
