POSLOVNI ĐIR Danijel Nikolla

Guest Danijel NikolaHosted by Bojana KuharevićMay 3, 2026

Danijel Nikola

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

How do you build a distinctive restaurant brand in a city known for its traditional offerings, while simultaneously battling a bureaucracy that seems designed to slow you down? This is the core tension Danijel Nikola, owner of Split's Corto Maltese, has navigated since opening six years ago. His restaurant, named after the eternal wanderer of graphic novels, has become a local institution by intentionally rejecting conventional menus and embracing a unique identity. Nikola is not just an entrepreneur; he is a vocal critic of the administrative hurdles that drain entrepreneurial energy, often finding himself providing solutions for the very system meant to support him. His perspective offers a sharp look at the friction between entrepreneurial vision and systemic inefficiency in Croatia. You will walk away thinking about the true cost of administrative delays and what it takes to maintain a clear path when external forces constantly pull you away from your core business.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Corto Maltese opened on a street near the fish market that Danijel Nikola describes as "deserted," with "no reason for people to pass through" before his restaurant arrived. Sometimes the best location isn't where the crowds already are, but where you can create a new reason for them to gather.

From day one, Corto Maltese refused to serve standard local fare like "meat platters, skewers, ćevapi, or fries," opting instead for "world dishes." To establish a new category, you must first define what you refuse to be, clearly differentiating from the established competition.

Danijel Nikola credits his head chef, Toni Boban, and his wife as the foundation of the restaurant, stating, "Without him and without the team around us, we wouldn't have achieved any of this." The strength of a business isn't solely in the owner's vision, but in the indispensable core team that executes it daily.

Maintaining a consistent supply of high-quality ingredients from local small farms (OPGs) is so challenging that the menu and suppliers change "very frequently." When working with small-scale producers, flexibility in your offering isn't a compromise; it's the strategy for consistently delivering quality.

Danijel Nikola describes often providing "solutions for the bureaucratic problem that arises," rather than receiving support. When administration becomes an obstacle, entrepreneurs are forced to divert energy from growing their business to solving the state's operational issues.

He once waited "almost a month" for a printed permit for a fully functional restaurant, incurring costs for rent and staff salaries while unable to open. Administrative delays are not just a nuisance; they are direct, measurable financial burdens that punish businesses ready to operate.

The new mayor of Split immediately invited the Association of Restaurateurs to a meeting, a significant shift from the previous administration where "we had to beg for a meeting." Genuine dialogue between entrepreneurs and authorities is not a courtesy; it's a fundamental requirement for functional governance and progress.

The county offered co-financing for a loan for his second restaurant, yet "the same county, or the floor below," held up permits for two months for the same project. Government support initiatives lose their effectiveness when they are undermined by simultaneous, uncoordinated administrative hurdles.

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