Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Food for Thought

Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Food for Thought

How the Creator of Fuddrucker's, Romano's Macaroni Grill, and eatZi's Built a $10 Billion Empire One Concept at a Time

Kaplan Publishing,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Theme restaurant entrepreneur Philip J. Romano dishes out the inside scoop on how he took the eatery industry by storm.

  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging
  • Insider's Take

Recommendation

Philip J. Romano is “an idea man at heart.” The innovative restaurateur launched multiple successful U.S. franchises, including Fuddruckers and Romano’s Macaroni Grill. He discovered that people would pay for his concepts, so he kept thinking and opening new restaurants. In this chatty, inside-flavored autobiography, he shares his creative processes and the principles that guide his business decisions. He knows the hot dinner business cold, and doesn’t mind saying so. getAbstract dishes up this light, entertaining read to those who are interested in entrepreneurial success stories or to anyone who wants an insider’s view of the restaurant business.

Summary

First Principles in Fine Dining

Daydreaming is one of Phil Romano’s favorite activities. Forty years of success guarantee that he’ll keep doing it. His successful restaurant concepts come from a personal set of beliefs he has followed throughout his life.

Raised in upstate New York as the son of hard-working, family-oriented Italian immigrants, he grew up surrounded by love, loyalty and good cooking. Eating was the center of family life. Relatives shared meals sitting around the kitchen table with a jug of his grandfather’s homemade wine. From his Grandpa Philip, he learned modesty and nonverbal communication (since Grandpa spoke only Italian). His grandmother, Mama Rose, taught him the power of positive thinking. His mom was endlessly patient and fiercely devoted. His father, a shrewd judge of character, trained him to notice subtleties in human behavior. Romano’s dad always told him to be the best at whatever he did. “If you’re a bum, then be the world’s most famous bum,” he urged. His father taught Romano to develop “points of difference” to set him apart from ordinary people. These homegrown values became Romano’s foundation.

Romano was a poor student, primarily...

About the Author

Philip J. Romano has more than 40 years of experience in the restaurant business. His national chains include Fuddruckers, Romano’s Macaroni Grill and eatZi’s.

Comment on this summary