This Salesman Was Unimpressed with a Local Pizzeria, So He Bought It — and Then Built A $20 Million Restaurant Business Sometimes, your inner voice that says, "I can do it better" is right. Here are three pieces of advice from a restaurateur who wants you to find similar success.
By Jason Feifer Edited by Mark Klekas
Key Takeaways
- "Having no plan for once in my life was a beautiful thing. I knew with perseverance and consistency I would somehow make it work — and I did."
Frank Brusco had no experience as a restaurateur. He was a salesman in the commercial printing industry.
Then he made the deal of a lifetime — buying a lousy pizzeria and transforming it into a thriving hospitality business that now includes three restaurant brands and brings in $20 million.
How'd he do it? "I truly love a challenge, and this one absolutely put me to the test," he says.
Today Brusco is an owner or partner in the New Jersey-based restaurants Patricia's of Holmdel, Gabriella's Italian Steakhouse, and Over Easy Kitchen (which has three locations).
Here are the three steps he took to transform his career.
1. Know What You Love
It all started at a soccer game.
Frank Brusco and his family attended his son's soccer game, and then went to a local pizzeria for dinner after. Brusco was unimpressed — the food and service were lousy, especially in an area, in a New Jersey suburb near New York City, where pizza expectations are high.
Brusco wasn't looking for a career switch; he was happy working in sales. Still, he started thinking about how that pizzeria could be improved. A week later, he went back to speak with the owner — and offered to buy the business.
What did he know about running a restaurant? "As a salesman," he says, "I was always traveling and entertaining clients. There was nothing I enjoyed more than hosting our clients and making sure wherever we were, they had an enjoyable experience."
The way he saw it, this career change was an opportunity to double down on the things he loved about his previous career. He already understood the importance of good sales, good service, and a good meal.
But importantly, he says, he also understood the difference between opportunity and passion.
"While today I am extremely passionate about being a restauranter," he says, "the night I bought my first restaurant, I wasn't passionate about the industry — but was confident in my business background and knowledge of restaurants. Therefore, I believed I could make this a positive business venture."
He started by renovating and updating the pizzeria, which is now Patricias of Holmdel, a full-scale Italian restaurant (that still serves pizza too).
2. Ask for Favors
Like many people, Brusco was uncomfortable asking for favors. But once he owned a restaurant, he realized he could not revitalize it alone.
"I had to tap into my resources," he says.
For example, he had a friend who worked in the tile industry — but before that, the friend worked in restaurants. "I asked him if he would be willing to help in the kitchen," Brusco says.
Today, that friend is Brusco's executive chef.
Related: Why Successful People Engage in These 7 Types of Hobbies
This experience taught him an important lesson: When you ask for favors, you aren't taking things from people. You're instead inviting them to join your journey — which can become an act of mutual benefit.
3. Embrace the Unknown
Brusco's story sounds fearless — as if he just moved into a new industry with confidence and vision.
In truth, he says, the change was often frightening. Whenever he stopped to think about what he'd done, he became intimidated at the many challenges ahead.
"So I just had to keep it moving," he says.
He had no long-term plan, but he thinks that's OK. He began with what he knew — which was that this restaurant needed to be fixed, and that he would learn a lot in the process.
"There is no looking back when it comes to a successful career change," he says. By making the leap, he forced himself to seek new solutions and push past his comfort zone.
"Having no plan for once in my life was a beautiful thing," he says. "I knew with perseverance and consistency I would somehow make it work — and I did."
