This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features. This week, we heard from Tom Pearson, co-owner of Stuzzi on King's Road in Harrogate.  

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does.

Stuzzi is an Italian small plate restaurant with a constantly changing menu – it changes every month and is very seasonal.

We've got loads of imported specialist Italian wines and other drinks, all in a laid-back, playful environment.

What does it take to be successful in business?

You need to be courageous. You need to keep your eyes on the figures – especially now – without letting them strangle you.

You need to have great social media, and above all, in our business you need to have great food and drink.

Getting people through the door is hard anyway, but you need those people to leave saying 'that was great' – it's all about return custom.

You need to be aware that you can't please everyone, so you have to keep to your core beliefs. Having a clear picture of what you wanted when you started out in business is important.

So many people think this industry is dead easy, but you really need to have experience and know what you're up against to make things work. I wouldn't go into a bank and say 'I could do that'. You need to already be good at what you do before opening your own restaurant.

What drives you to do what you do every day?

Several things. I love what I do. I love Italian food. I love this industry. And I love waking up and being my own boss, even though it's horrifically stressful sometimes.

I also like the pride that comes when people come back time and again for years.

People say we're a Harrogate institution, which is probably the greatest compliment you could ever give us. That makes me really proud.

What’s been the toughest issue your business has had to deal with over the last 12 months?

There's been a lot, so it's difficult to choose just one. The increase in National Insurance employers' contributions hit quite hard, because it was a lot of money, and our energy bill is higher than our rent.

The reason it's so difficult is that there's a ceiling to what you can charge. When the prices of food, drink, electricity, gas and wages all go up, you want to pass it on to the customer, but it doesn't work like that.

So instead, we've tried to make savings. Shaving costs here and there is currently all you can do. So we turn off the non-essential fridges and the coffee machine at night, and we're tighter on overtime.

But we're unable to save any money on food and drink – that's uncompromisable. Once you start cutting costs on that, you're buggered.

There's only one magic bullet I can think of, and that's cutting VAT. It's 20% here, but only 13% in Ireland. Even a 5% cut would be a complete game-changer. It would enable us to continue to function comfortably and carry on into the future without having to make difficult decisions, such as letting people go – which no restaurateur wants to do.

Going back further than just the last 12 months, Brexit was an absolute killer. We used to import fruit and veg all the time from Italy, as well as bronze-die pasta and other speciality food. With Brexit, the fruit and veg became unavailable and the other things increased in price by 25% within about three months.

We had to pivot so aggressively, it was a shock to the system, and we seem to have had a shock to the system every year since.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

Rhodes Wood [the classic men's outfitter]. I love that they've been here for such a long time. What a fabulous, cool, independent business to have in Harrogate.

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

Everyone loves Gareth Southgate [the former England football manager, who lives near Swinsty reservoir], don't they? He comes into the restaurant quite regularly. He does loads for the community – he's got soul, and a good heart. He just seems to be one of those people who hasn't got a bad bone in his body.

What could be done locally to boost business?

We should offer people more free parking in town. We haven't got wonderful transport links, and a lot of people live out in the villages or on the edge of town, and they need to be able to come into town with their car – to meet the girls for brunch or pop to the bank.

But once you get a ticket, you might think twice before coming in.

This town is very much in need of more people coming in and spending time going round the shops and spending more. Three hours of free parking would give people the time to spend some leisurely time here, without worrying about having to head back to the car.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?

The people are lovely, and there are quite a lot who like to eat out regularly.

Is there anything bad about operating in Harrogate? I don't think there is.

What are your business plans for the future?

We just want to make this place better – changing the menu, innovating, and keeping the place rocking and rolling, really.

We don't want to expand. Once you've found a 'sweet spot', greed can kill it. It's easy to think that more is better, but so often it's not. It's human nature to want more, but it's important to be able to take a step back, and think 'this is ace – why would we need any more?'.

What do you like to do in your time off?

I go to the gym, and I love walking the dog in the Valley Gardens on a sunny day and then going for an ice cream at Vanilli's on Cold Bath Road.

I also love going to Italy and bringing back what we discover. This business is my spare time!

Best places to eat and drink locally?

The Curry Counter on Leeds Road does proper Bradford-style curries – a bit spicier, a bit richer, just a bit more Bradford! Harvey [Stuzzi's co-owner] and I got there every week or two for lunch, and it's a really lovely thing to do.

Pizza Social is a really nice, cool little independent, and Paradise Tap & Taco is really chilled too, with food that's full of flavour and very reasonable, and it always has a good vibe.

And I've always love the Drum and Monkey. The food's great, and it has this colonial feel about it – you don't even feel you're in Harrogate.

Keeping standards so high is really hard, but that's how places like Will & Vic's have stayed on top of their game.

I love the Little Ale House too. All the beers are kept wonderfully, and the vibe on any day of the week is lovely and cool. It's a very easy, relaxed place to sit and have a drink.