Interview with Frank and Franco from Tesoro Caffe Bar
“A good majority of our customer base that we’re friends with now and we see everyday is people we barely knew and now they’re close friends. 80% of my regular customers will be there. We’re a close knit group. Italian café is ritual and driven by that. You can have the same person come at eight in the morning then come at 12 and then come again at three and then again at eight or nine for dinner or a drink in the evening.”
-Frank Santoro
“We have a very loyal following here.”
-Franco Maione
Frank and Franco came to know each other through high school and have been close ever since then. Since opening Tesoro Caffe Bar, the friendship between the two of them has helped make the restaurant a success. Customers soon feel like family in the relaxed ambience, created by positive customer rapport as well as the sense of humor maintained by staff. Tesoro has the “relax, put your feet up,” kind of atmosphere that is uniquely Italian.
1. When did you first become interested in the restaurant business?
Frank Santoro: Five years ago. I used to work at a café when I was in University. I started liking it more and more, worked downtown for a bit and so I thought while we were young it would be a fun thing to do. Meet a lot of people, good atmosphere. It was fast-paced, constantly changing, gave me the opportunity to do a lot of things, meet a lot of people.
Franco Maione: I’ve worked in the business since I was fourteen, worked at a lot of restaurants between Edmonton and Calgary. Pretty much the same thing. Went to school, visited Frank’s café while I was going to school, started working there and we both decided to give it a go downtown.
2. What interested you about this particular kind of restaurant?
Frank: We are both Italian, we both love Italian cuisine, atmosphere, and lifestyle so it’s something we try to incorporate into the café. We try to educate and allow people to understand the lifestyle as well as opposed to eating and getting out. That’s what differentiates us.
3. What are the most significant joys and struggles of being an independent restaurant owner?
Frank: Growing. It’s the best feeling to have a place that’s busy. It’s also the worst feeling when one day it’s busy and the next days its not and you start to wonder why.
Franco: The joys are meeting all the new people, establishing rapport and good friendships with different people. The struggles, growing, not being busy and wondering why. Trying to figure out the market, wondering why we’re slow one Friday and busy the next.
4. How are you involved in the community around you? Do you support any charities, local or larger?
Franco: We do a lot of charity work. We support the Alberta Cancer Foundation through our Cafe Speso which is when a customer comes in they can purchase two coffees, receive one and the money for the second coffee is donated to the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Also during our different events, one year anniversaries, every birthday pretty much we donate coffee proceeds to Alberta Cancer Foundation. We donate a portion of our merchandise to the Cancer Foundation as well so we’re always working together with them.
Frank: Another thing is being in an area where there is a mix of downtown business as well as residential people come by asking for support for non-profit organizations, schools, hockey teams. So we do what we can. Gift certificates, anything that can help out a little bit. We understand how it feels to grow and go through tough times so we want to make sure we help out as much as we can.
5. Where do the ideas for your food come from?
Frank: I did my big European trip once I graduated university. I went to Montreal a few months ago. I was in Italy for two months. Catching as many soccer games as I could, as many parties as I could, as many beaches as I could. My grandfather had a bar in Italy, similar to this, passed down to my uncle which was passed down to my cousin. It’s always been in my family and always been in my blood. Traveling throughout Europe, traveling in Montreal, getting as many ideas as I could get. Franco was in Vancouver, getting ideas. It’s important to stay authentic as well as keeping and eye on some of the modern trend that are arising, try to create a few of our own.
6. Where does the restaurant’s name come from?
Frank: Tesoro in Italian means “treasure,” it literally means treasure and it’s also a term of endearment. We went through a good hundred names and as soon as that one was said it stuck because it had significance from our younger years as our parents used to call us, “my tesoro.” It fit well and it rolled off the tongue easily.
7. What are some of your interests/hobbies outside of the restaurant? Do you get a chance to enjoy these or is that a rarity?
Franco: Now we’re starting to have more time for those things.
Frank: We’re starting to get into golf and other things. Try to play sports when I can, mainly golf and socializing.
Franco: Staying active, same thing.
8. Did you go to university? What did you study..was it related in any way to the restaurant business?
Frank: I have my Bachelor of Commerce and Human Resource Management with a minor in Small Business Management. School helped me with the financial and management side as well as the organizational side.
9. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Franco: I wanted to work on airplanes at one point in my life, but that passed fairly quickly when I realized I couldn’t get on a ladder. Then I realized airplanes and me were not going to mix well.
Frank: I started off wanted to be a doctor, then a lawyer then went into business. This is what I like and I’m glad I came in this direction.
10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Frank: I hate excuses, I hate the little things, when people are rude and inconsiderate. I hate it when people walk around with bare feet.
Franco: I hate it when people take showers in fountains. When we first opened people were lathering up here, head and shoulders.
11. Is there anything that you want to add?
Frank: Franco has the worst luck driving vehicles. In our two years open he’s gone through four brand new vehicles.
Franco (laughs): None of my fault either.
Frank: He should be a vehicle tester because he always finds the lemons.
