À la minute: A conversation with restaurateurs on adapting midst a pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in wide-sweeping disruption across many sectors of the U.S. economy – including the restaurant industry.

In this discussion, hear from alumni restaurateurs who own and operate establishments throughout the Greater Boston area and around the country to learn how they’ve adapted their businesses to address the challenges presented during this unprecedented time.

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About the presenters:

Rick Rostoff (Questrom’93), Moderator
Vice President of Acquisitions
Linear Retail Properties, LLC

Rick Rostoff is Vice President of Acquisitions at Linear Retail Properties. He joined Linear in December 2014. Rick is responsible for sourcing and closing retail acquisitions in eastern MA, southern NH, RI and southern ME. Since joining Linear Retail, Rick has participated in the acquisition of approximately 20 retail properties with an aggregate value of over $200 million.

Prior to joining Linear Retail Properties, he founded and operated Spectra Realty Associates, where he participated in the brokerage and development of over $250 million in retail, hotel, and office properties. At Spectra Realty Associates, Rick represented some of New England’s largest commercial real estate developers and owners as well as numerous retail and hotel REIT’s. He also participated in the development of some of the largest retail and multi-family properties throughout New England.

Rick is an active alumnus of both Brandeis University and Boston University. He is also an active supporter of the Lynn Boys & Girls Club, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Andrea DeSimone (CFA’00)
Co-Owner
Spinnaker – a Mediterranean Chic Restaurant & Inn

With an impressive career spanning nearly two decades, Andrea DeSimone is a knockout on the hospitality and restaurant real estate scene. Andrea is a hands-on Owner/Operator, a real estate investor, and a licensed real estate broker.

A graduate of the Boston University College of Fine Arts (2000), DeSimone started her real estate career with Edens, under the direction of Elizabeth Furnelli, focusing on restaurant and retail dealmaking in the northeast.

In 2008, Andrea took a hiatus from the US business world and relocated to Italy with her now husband, Chef Rob DeSimone. It was during this time together that Rob introduced Andrea to the Slow Food Presidia, Italian farm-stays, Italian warm hospitality, grand Sardinian yachts and famous luxury lifestyle ports of Montecarlo, Porto Cervo, Capri and others.

Returning to the states in 2009, DeSimone joined the newly formed CBRE-Grossman team where she brokered high street and neighborhood retail and restaurant leasing in all neighborhoods of Boston from Back Bay to the Seaport. Working closely with her partner, Jeremy Grossman, Andrea was focused on dealmaking but also leading the team and building their reputation for excellence in the city of Boston. During her tenure, Andrea was promoted to First Vice President and awarded the CBRE national “Krista Haverly Spirit Award”, an honor from her peers that she treasures. Andrea attends the Mapic worldwide retail show in Cannes annually as well as ICSC conventions, has given countless hours to the NAIOP planning committee and worked on programming for the YMCA Boston.

After closing hundreds of deals and helping entrepreneurs open their concepts, in 2017 Andrea and her husband took the plunge and opened Spinnaker, a 49-seat Mediterranean restaurant and inn on Cape Cod. Spinnaker is open year-round in Brewster and is lauded as TripAdvisor’s “Top 10% of Restaurants Worldwide in 2020.” Offering a glimpse into the couple’s travel and culinary life, Spinnaker features the foods, drinks and vibe they have discovered with friends for years. Andrea manages the team and the guest experience from start to finish at Spinnaker. They return to Europe two or three times a year for culinary and design inspiration. Eager to learn, Andrea earned her certificate in “Hotel Financing and Asset Management” from Cornell University in 2020.

The couple lives in Brewster with their well-traveled chocolate toy poodle, Landis. They plan to travel for more inspiration as soon as they are able.

Steve DiFillippo (Questrom’82)
Chef/Owner, Restaurateur & Author
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

Steve DiFillippo (Questrom’82), is the consummate restaurateur. With his award-winning Davio’s brand firmly established in Boston, Foxbrorough, Chestnut Hill, Lynnfield, Braintree, Atlanta, Manhattan, Philadelphia, King of Prussia and Irvine, California, DiFillippo has tackled the modern Italian restaurant. DiFillippo’s reach continues to expand as his locations continue to garner critical acclaim and destination status.

After graduating from Boston University in 1982, Steve DiFillippo, owner of Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse, attended The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts to pursue his dream of becoming a chef. During his college years, DiFillippo worked his way up the ladder at SeaSide, a popular bar and restaurant located in Boston’s Faneuil Hall. DiFillippo worked from the bottom up serving in all positions available and finally assumed the executive chef position once he graduated from culinary school.

In 1985, at the early age of 24, DiFillippo purchased his first restaurant: an existing spot named Davio’s. It would be here that DiFillippo would brand the name of Davio’s as synonymous with quality. Located at the up and coming end of Newbury Street in Boston’s trendy Back Bay, the original Davio’s was opened in 1977 as a family-owned Italian restaurant with local charm. As Boston’s culinary tastes began to develop and become more refined, DiFillippo transformed the location into a fine dining destination. DiFillippo retooled the menu, the space, the wine list—injecting many reincarnations of his mother’s recipes into the menu. The new Davio’s garnered rave reviews for being “innovative, creative and bold.”

In 1999, DiFillippo opened Davio’s Philadelphia, where he introduced his Northern Italian Steakhouse to the City of Brotherly Love. Keeping the Davio’s favorites in tact, he added selections of all Natural Brandt Beef and Niman Ranch Pork. In the fall of 2002, DiFillippo re-located his Newbury Street restaurant to the former Paine Furniture Building in Park Square with ten thousand square feet of space. At this location, he introduced his enormous open kitchen concept and added an in-house bakery, which produces Davio’s breads, desserts and homemade ice cream.

In the fall of 2007, DiFillippo launched his popular Philly Cheese Steak Spring Roll® as a retail product. Today his product line offers unique Spring Rolls in a selection of flavors nationally. The growing product line is now available in 5,000 stores in 40 states across the country. Since 2015, he is a regular guest and favorite now on The QVC Network, selling the Davio’s signature spring rolls as well as new products such as the popular stuffed salmon filets and meatballs.

DiFillippo’s restaurants next expanded to the suburbs. With fine suburban dining beginning to take hold, DiFillippo was on the cutting edge of bringing quality destination dining from Boston to the surrounding cities and towns. Davio’s Patriot Place opened in August of 2008 and is the shining star of the Patriot Place complex. A site for pre and post-game entertaining, the location has also been drawing crowds from surrounding communities.

DiFillippo opened Davio’s Atlanta in August of 2010 at Phipps Plaza in the Buckhead district of Atlanta,GA. In June of 2013, Davio’s Chestnut Hill was opened at The Street and August of 2013, he opened in his hometown of Lynnfield, MA at MarketStreet. Davio’s Manhattan, was opened November of 2013 across from Grand Central Terminal on Lexington Avenue. In October of 2016 Davio’s King of Prussia in Town Center (outside of Philadelphia) opened and in the fall of 2017, he opened in Braintree, MA. In October 2018, he opened his first West Coast location in Irvine, California.

DiFillippo attributes a great deal of his success to his involvement in the community, his need to evolve to meet new expectations and the people he hires. In an industry that seems to be a revolving door, DiFillippo has many employees who have remained since he purchased his first Davio’s.

DiFillippo published his first book titled “It’s All About the Guest: Exceeding Expectations in Business and in Life, the Davio’s Way” in the Fall of 2013. The memoir and hospitality book features business advice for aspiring restaurateurs and chefs as well as twelve signature Davio’s recipes including Julia Child’s favorite Angel Hair Pomodoro. The book received a Red Star by Publisher’s Weekly which indicates a book of outstanding quality. “A veritable handbook for anyone considering opening their own restaurant, DiFillippo pulls back the curtain to share his experiences—good and bad—and offers specific, distilled advice…Anyone seriously considering entering the restaurant or hospitality business would do well to spend some time with DiFillippo’s entertaining and insightful book.” – Publishers Weekly.

DiFillippo is actively involved in many organizations including: The Taste of the NFL, The Greater Boston Food Bank, Best Buddies, Rodman Ride for Kids; BUILD Inc. and The Boston Dining Alliance. In the fall of 2008, DiFillippo was inducted into the Massachusetts Restaurant Hall of Fame and in 2014 he was awarded Restaurateur of the Year. In 2016, Best Buddies Massachusetts recognized Davio’s as Employer of the Year for the Best Buddies Jobs Program. He is also the Co-Chair for the annual Best Buddies Challenge that kicks off at Harvard Stadium with NFL Champion Tom Brady and Best Buddies International founder Anthony Shriver. DiFillippo is a contributing Vice Chair of the Board of Overseers of the Anti-Defamation League, New England Region and as a member of the Board of Governors he has co-chaired the annual Working Wonders Gala & Fundraiser for Tufts Medical Center.

Robert Weintraub (CGS’84, Questrom’86)
CEO
Premier Property Solutions, LLC

Robert Weintraub is a real estate developer, restaurateur, investor, entrepreneur, CEO, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of Premier Property Solutions, LLC, a full-service property management and real estate brokerage company. Premier Property Solutions, LLC currently manages over 4,000 units, mainly in Boston and Western Massachusetts. He is also a founding member of Premier Capital Partners, a Boston-based real estate investment firm that together with its property management affiliate, forms a fully integrated Real Estate Investment platform that specializes in the acquisition, financing, management and repositioning of multi-family apartment complexes. Robert Weintraub earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Boston University, class of 1986, concentrating in real estate finance. In addition to earning his degree in Business Administration from Boston University, Robert is a licensed General Contractor, a Certified Manager of Community Associations, an Association Management Specialist, a licensed Real Estate Broker and Developer, and a licensed Notary Public. He is known for building, managing, and developing multi-family apartment buildings and condominium associations across Massachusetts and New England. He possesses extensive experience in property development, acquisition, zoning, permitting, commercial lease negotiations, and property management. Furthermore, he has written numerous property management articles which have appeared in several New England real estate magazine publications and appeared as speaker for numerous real estate conferences and a guest of The Bloomberg Financial Hour, WXKS-FM, and Talk AM 1430.

In addition to the aforementioned real estate and property management business, Robert Weintraub has achieved tremendous success in Boston’s restaurant business. From initial concept through opening, he is involved in all facet’s of restaurant design, permitting, construction, and operation. His culinary accomplishments include recognition by several of the food industry’s most prestigious publications and establishing some of Boston’s best-known restaurant concepts, most recently including Boston’s Select Oyster, Kamakura, Southern Proper, Atlántico, Grand Tour and Little Rose Taco Bar. Recently, Select Oyster has been named Best Seafood Restaurant in Boston by the Food Network and Boston Magazine.

Robert Weintraub is dedicated towards philanthropy, and currently serves as the President of Boston’s Huntington Avenue YMCA Board of Advisor’s. He also serves on the Board of Director’s for Boston’s Artists for Humanity and Mandarin Oriental’s Board of Trustees. Robert Weintraub is devoted towards community involvement and serves as the Vice President of Boston’s Newbury Street League. He was appointed by Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh to serve as a Commissioner on the Back Bay’s Architectural Commission. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for Josh Zakim for Boston City Council Committee and Josh Zakim for Massachusetts Secretary of State Committee, and The Lenny Zakim Fund Casino Night Committee. Furthermore, he is an active member of the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association’s Boston Division. Most recently, Robert has been actively contributing towards The Dana Farber Cancer Institute and their efforts to make life-changing breakthroughs in cancer research.

Outside of his business accomplishments and passion for philanthropy, Robert enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, and with his three daughters. Robert is an avid boater, pilot, biker, and Marathon runner. He has ran 8 Marathons throughout the country including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Robert Weintraub currently resides in Boston’s Back Bay.