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D.C.
restauranteur, partner share secrets of success
Photo by Jeff
Watts
Paul
Guzzardo, left, and Franco Nuschese of Café Milano
offer advice to SOC students.
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BY
ADRIENNE FRANK
Franco
Nuschese, the charismatic owner of one of D.C.’s most popular
eateries, Café Milano, dished out advice to students during
a lecture Thursday, Nov. 18, at the School of Communication.
Nuschese—named
one of GQ magazine’s “20 most powerful people in
Washington” in 2003—spoke to about 30 students from Gemma
Puglisi’s Communications and Society class, many of whom have
entrepreneurial aspirations of their own. The Italian-born Nuschese,
who was accompanied by his business partner, Paul Guzzardo, said
discipline and passion are the cornerstones of his success.
“I
never take anything for granted. Anyone who comes through the door
[at Café Milano] should feel special. We make sure everyone,
celebrity or not, is taken care of.”
Nuschese—whose
résumé includes stints at the Playboy Club in London
and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas—has been involved with
the restaurant, hotel, and gaming industries since he was a teen.
He moved to D.C. in 1991 after Guzzardo asked Nuschese to help him
open a new restaurant, Bice.
“I
packed up, took a red eye to Washington, dropped my bags, and just
got to work,” said Nuschese with a warm laugh.
One
year later, Nuschese opened his own Italian eatery, Café
Milano, on Prospect Street in Georgetown. The restaurant, which
started out with 52 seats and has since expanded to accommodate
350 diners, is one of the hangouts of choice for politicians, athletes,
and celebrities.
“I
remember, Placido Domingo came in once,” recalled Nuschese,
“and someone on my staff asked, ‘How was everything?’
And he said, ‘Great, but the music is too loud.’ So, 48
hours later I created a new room, the Domingo Room.” (Diners,
by the way, can reserve the Domingo Room, which accommodates 24
to 32 people.)
Nuschese and Guzzardo—who also own Sette, an Italian restaurant
in Dupont Circle—also discussed their newest venture, an eatery
in Clarendon, Va. There’s only one problem: “We’re
having trouble with the name,” Guzzardo said with a laugh.
He
added that suggestions are welcome and can be sent to name@cafemilano.net.
“And if we pick your name, we promise you a dinner for four,
anything you want, at Café Milano.”
At
the end of the lecture, the pair took questions from the students.
One asked what advice they had for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“You
obviously need an idea,” said Guzzardo. “You have to turn
that idea upside down and play with it from every angle. But beyond
that, you have to be willing to take risks, and you have to be passionate
about what you’re doing.
“And
then you hope that you hit it just right. Because if you do, there’s
nothing better than being your own boss.”
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