When Joe Bergfeld tells people that he is the new owner of Gian-Tony’s Ristorante on The Hill (5356 Daggett), he’s often met with the same question: What in the world made you decide to buy a restaurant?
From the outside, this looks like a reasonable question. A longtime leader in the steel and construction materials sector and CEO of PIttsburgh Pipe for nearly five decades, Bergfeld appears to be an unlikely restaurateur. Once he opens up about his ideas for the restaurant and what drove him and his family to become a part of the Hill’s food community, however, you understand why he is the perfect steward for such a storied restaurant.
“We’re really driven by three things,” Bergfeld explains. “The first is our family’s love of and connection with Italian food and culture. The second is our strong connection to The Hill neighborhood, and the third is the opportunity to be a part of the Hill’s historic Italian restaurant community. All of these factors just folded together to cause me to act on the opportunity once I found out Gian-Tony’s was for sale.”
Bergfeld bought Gian-Tony’s from its longtime owners, Tony and Eva Catarinicchia, on December 1 and has been running the restaurant with Tony by his side in a consulting agreement since that date. Now that the arrangement with Tony has ended, Bergfeld is excited to share his plans for the restaurant—which will eventually be called Fiore’s on the Hill—as well as what longtime guests can expect and why he promises to honor the Gian-Tony’s legacy.
The Sale and Transition
Last March, Tony announced that he was ready to retire, but rather than closing the restaurant, he was hoping to sell the business to someone to honor what he’d created. During their first meeting, Tony found that Bergfeld shared a passion, deep community roots, and philosophy for the business.
As Bergfeld explains, The Hill has been the center of his family’s lives for decades. His wife’s parents lived in the neighborhood—about a block from Gian-Tony’s—for their entire lives, and his wife spent the first 22 years of her life in that house. He and his wife were married at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in the neighborhood, and their three children all attended the church’s school; Bergfeld continues to be active with St. Ambrose and serves on a couple of its boards. As for Bergfeld, he acknowledges that though his name does not reveal it, he too, is of Italian lineage and grew up with a love for the cuisine and culture.
“Unless you go back four generations on The Hill, you’re considered a visitor, but I am proud that I have achieved visitor status,” Bergfeld says with a laugh.
When Bergfeld heard that Gian-Tony’s’ was for sale, he saw it as the perfect chance to deepen those Hill connections and honor his family’s love of Italian food. According to Bergfeld, Tony recognized this in their meeting and appreciated that Bergfeld agreed to keep on the staff members, many of whom have worked at the restaurant for years and are considered family.
Bergfeld purchased the land, building, and restaurant. “The most important asset not listed on the sale sheet is the staff,” Bergfeld adds. “Both the front and back-of -house are wonderful; of the principal waiters, one has been there 31 years, another has been there 21, and the other has worked there 20 years. Every single person here is unbelievably loyal, dedicated and capable.”
Another part of the sale involved a consulting arrangement whereby Tony would stay on to help the Bergfeld family with the transition and train them on his recipes, which were also part of the sale. Although that period has technically ended, Bergfeld says he expects the Catarinicchias to remain a fixture at the restaurant.
“I told Tony, who has become a friend, that there will always be a table for him and Eva at this restaurant for as long as he wants one,” Bergfeld says. “All he has to do is call, and we will have it ready. He is my guest for as long as he wants to be.”
Fiore’s
For the next several months, Bergfeld and his son Dominic will continue to run Gian-Tony’s, with business as usual until they get their feet underneath them. Dominic will serve as the face and day-to-day operations manager. After that time period, they will transition the restaurant to Fiore’s, Dominic’s maternal grandmother’s maiden name. With the rebrand will come a physical refresh of the restaurant; Bergfeld is currently working with an architect who has plans for some modifications of the space and new design elements.
Guests can expect some menu changes as well. Although Bergfeld emphasizes that he and Dominic have no plans to change some of the fan favorites such as chicken spedini and steaks, he does see opportunities for a smaller, more curated menu and streamlining some of the preparations.
“One of the most common things said to me by customers is, ‘Whatever you do, don’t take that off the menu’—everybody has their favorites,” Bergfeld says. “That is good feedback, because a couple of dishes are mentioned over and over again, like the chicken spedini, the steaks, and a few different pastas. But we have a challenge, because I think it will help out kitchen operations to slim down the menu.”
As Bergfeld explains, he and his wife regularly dine out at places such as Café Napoli, Il Palato, and The Crossing, where they’ve noticed that the menus contain fewer entrées. He thinks the key to Fiore’s success will be to find a way to balance maintaining Gian-Tony’s fan favorites with a smaller menu, so they can be mindful of food cost and waste.
In addition to the menu and interior updates, Bergfeld and his son plan on increasing the restaurant’s social media presence to attract new diners.
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