Plying fairgoers with country-fried treats is just the
start for John Barto, whose firm provides food-and-beverage service for confabs
across the Fairgrounds calendar.
Owner and chef Keltie Domina is relying on cost-cutting, an uptick in sales and her talent for shifting strategies
to dig out of a recession-based deficit.
For Matteo and Emily Di Rosa, the sustained profitability of Matteo's
Ristorante Italiano is even sweeter in light of the errors of naivete made at the start.
Harold's Steer-In was on its last legs when the Kehrer family decided
to rehabilitate the beloved eatery. After a slow start, sales are stampeding.
Hal's Fabulous Vegas Bar & Grille, with a big stake from owner Hal Yeagy, is battling the economy, increased
competition and the expectations of south-side diners.
Dina Romay-Sipe, a designer turned novice restaurateur, cooked up Tulip Noir from scratch. Good advice along the way:
Stick to your budget, pay your bills, and get it in writing.
The country-cuisine icon has survived several recessions and dozens of food fads. Owner Jay Snyder is
staying the course, while looking ahead to his exit.
Envisioned by Christopher Eley as a one-man butcher shop, Goose has
grown in three years to a 12-person operation trending for $1 million in sales.
Former owners Eli and Nicole Anderson are back at the helm of H2O Sushi
and are on the brink of a significant revamp, likely including rebranding the Asian-themed eatery.
Joe Peterson dreamed of opening a high-end restaurant. The start was
rough, but it led to breakthroughs at Joe's day
job as a manufacturing magnate.
Despite setbacks including a devastating lightning strike, Tony Huelster of Bonge's Tavern
has turned the middle-of-nowhere eatery into a dining hotspot.
Local restaurateur Gino Pizzi refocuses his new downtown locale after unexpected challenges, including higher costs
and lackluster lunch business.
Shrewd moves have allowed restauranteur Taki Sawi to cement Santorini Greek Kitchen in Fountain Square and pave the
way for future expansion.
The
Broad Ripple-based brewpub's owners bet its Belgian beer and vittles will go over just as well outside Indy. But first
they need $1 million from an investor, in part to streamline brewing.
Art Bouvier fled his corporate IT gig to open a small Cajun place without
a business plan or prior restaurant experience. After a number of blunders, Papa Roux looks like it will pan out.
IBJ's new video feature on restaurateurs tries curbside
service at Speedway's Mug-n-Bun, unchanged in concept since the 1960s but now sporting subtle tweaks.
After a sales slowdown during the recession forced him to close the high-end eatery L'explorateur, Neal Brown mulled
a move into Neopolitan-style pizza with friendlier price points. The result—Pizzology Pizzeria & Pub—is off
to a profitable start.
In IBJ's new video feature on front-burner business issues that vex restaurants, Regina Mehallick
of downtown's R bistro mulls the financial and personal demands of running a chef-owned eatery with a menu that changes
every week.
