Food and an excellent dining experience is why most customers revisit a restaurant. Share your goal for Gino & Marty’s when you created the menu for this concept.
Our goal for the menu was to celebrate parts of the Italian American immigrant story in Chicago. Relatable food that’s about quality and sourcing of the finest ingredients available, while executed in a non-pretentious way. We want the experience to be exclusive but the food to speak to the soul just as if someone’s old Italian nonna was in the back cooking for you.
Compare how the menu reflects the entertainment experience that Gino & Marty’s strives to provide.
All our plates are larger than normal portions that are meant to share family style and create a vibrant atmosphere true to any Italian family.
Cocktails are just as important for many restaurants as the dishes offered. Describe how Gino & Marty’s food and beverage program complements one another.
Our most popular drink, the Calabrian, was our way to take a popular spirit like tequila and combine it with an ingredient that my father’s region of Italy is known for… the Calabrian chili pepper. By infusing a beautiful, pickled Calabrian chili pepper with premium tequila let’s our drinks appeal to a trendy downtown market with staying true to ingredients and flavors from our roots.
What unique food experience do you expect customers to have versus other high-end Italian restaurants?
Our experience is over the top but not tacky. We are an authentic ownership team and being real and genuine is cool. We are cool and make sure everyone feels the same while at our tables. We want an environment that’s loud, friendly, and vibrant with a room filled with laughs and memories.
Share three goals that you are hoping to achieve as a chef over the next 5 years.
Growth for one. We have many ambitions and plans to expand to several other cities and or different dining concepts within Chicago. I plan to be launching a celebrity driven pop culture cookbook soon, but I can’t really tell you too much more currently!