Summary: <h3><b>BGBS 018: Creating Happy People | Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno | Bonanno Concepts</b></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today’s story features the husband and wife team behind Bonanno Concepts, Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frank and Jaqueline Bonanno have built a restaurant group in Denver on the values of Pride, Family, and Excellence. If you talk to any of their hundreds of employees they’ll all tell you the exact same thing. Not only with they tell you this but they believe it with all their hearts. They believe they are family. They have tremendous pride in what they do and know that the product they are providing is excellent. It is clear that these values permeate their business and their culture because this is how they view food and it’s place in our lives.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno fell in love over after-shift drinks and romantic </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">conversations centered around deeply flavorful food, nuanced service, and the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">business of restaurant excellence. In their twenty odd years as a couple, Bonanno Concepts built nine restaurants, two bars, a pie shop and a 16-venue </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">marketplace. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eighteen of their executive chefs and managers used their experiences with the Bonannos to springboard restaurants of their own, and in a very real sense, the Bonannos have shaped and elevated the culinary landscape in Colorado.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We conducted this interview, sitting in the wine room of their very first restaurant – Mizuna.</span></p> <p><b>In this episode we talked about:</b></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The history of Mizuna; what Frank was doing prior to being in the restaurant business and what steps led him into owning not only Mizuna, but many other businesses.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What Frank thought his parents, especially his dad, would have said about him being in the food industry, which actually had a surprising turn for him.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The specificity of Frank glorifying Italian food.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jacqueline’s history growing up in Indiana and coincidently working in the restaurant space growing up and going through her college years.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What led Frank and Jacqueline to pursue a journey in the restaurant industry and business.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tips Frank has for people wanting to go into culinary school.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frank and Jacqueline’s thoughts on the lack of passionate and qualified workers in the restaurant industry to step back and become a leader.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">How Frank and Jacqueline met…and their different versions on how they fell </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">they</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in love.</span> </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The very specific details Frank and Jacqueline notice that make the biggest difference to the overall quality and experience in food service.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pizza pizza pizza!! Why Pizza is so important to Frank and what he loves so much about it.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frank’s pizza competition experience as a judge and his thoughts on why people have a particular pizza preference.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></li> </ul>
