As a visionary for the Gino & Marty’s brand, what was your inspiration that led you to take on this project?
My inspiration for Gino & Marty’s stemmed from my passion for creating immersive experiences that blend diverse cultural elements. Drawing from my background in experiential marketing with Limitless Creative, I envisioned a space where the vibrancy of Italian
cuisine meets the dynamic atmosphere of a supper club. This concept was born from a desire to fuse the rich traditions of Italian dining with the contemporary flair of a social gathering spot, creating a unique, memorable experience for Chicago. I’ve been creating these for some of the top brands in the world for over a decade now, I figured it’s time to start creating for myself, family, and friends. Gino and Martin were the perfect partners for this venture.
How do you envision launching other Gino & Marty’ in different markets and which areas would make the most sense for the brand?
As we look towards expanding Gino & Marty’s, our focus will be on cities that resonate with a strong cultural heartbeat, where music, fashion, and culinary arts thrive. In the States, Metropolises like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami would be ideal, given their cosmopolitan vibe and appreciation for high-end dining experiences, but in their up-and-coming pockets. Globally, we are focused on destinations, such as Monaco, Cabo, Ibiza, etc. In each new market, we aim to tailor the Gino & Marty’s experience to reflect the local culture and trends, ensuring a unique and authentic experience that aligns with our brand ethos.
Explain how your business, marketing, and entrepreneurial experience helped you to connect the dots on launching this concept.
My experience in business, marketing, and entrepreneurship has been instrumental in conceptualizing and launching Gino & Marty’s. Understanding cultural trends and consumer behavior, a skill honed at Limitless and HEIR, allowed me to identify a niche for an Italian supper club-style restaurant with the injection of being inclusive yet exclusive. By leveraging my experience in experiential events, the aim was to align all leadership to turn Gino & Marty’s into not just a dining destination but a complete sensory experience, integrating elements of music, fashion, sports, and family into the fabric of the restaurant. More importantly, I believe in scale, and scaling with quality in detail. Scaling my prior companies has taught me the process to do this without compromising the intangibles, this will be vital to growth of G&Ms and more for us.