By Denise Deveau
The opening of the first Pizzeria Libretto in Toronto in August 2008 garnered more attention than expected. “We got crushed with customers and ran out of pizza dough; lineups started to form,” says Max Rimaldi, founder and CEO, Libretto Restaurant Group, Foodservice and Hospitality magazine’s Regional Company of the Year. The Ossington Avenue-based restaurant was quickly named one of enRoute magazine’s top-10 best new restaurants in Canada.
Rimaldi first joined forces with business partner and executive chef Rocco Agostino with the idea of filling a gap that was missing in Toronto. “At the time, the choices were cheap and cheerful quick service or really high end. There was nothing happening in the middle. We wanted to create a casual restaurant that was focused on quality service and ingredients that people could afford.”
As a seasoned chef with a fine-dining background, Agostino was tasked with creating “magic” with the pizza creations on offer. The result is a menu that combines classics (margherita pizzas) to the avant-garde (duck-confit pizza). “We were trying to elevate comfort food to another level,” he says.
Their initial success came despite the fact the owners did zero marketing, says Rimaldi. “It was purely based on us doing something Toronto hadn’t seen at the time; that is, one of the first VPN [Vera Pizza Napoletana] -certified pizzerias in the city. It was a major coup to be able to offer something new, exciting and different for the city. There is actually a ‘pizza police’ from Italy that sends their people all over the world to certify restaurants.”
In 2010, they turned their thoughts from Naples to Rome, opening an upscale restaurant concept, Enoteca Sociale.
“We had a good amount of success with Libretto so thought, why not do this with a pasta-focused restaurant inspired by traditional Roman recipes,” says Rimaldi. The Enoteca Sociale restaurant on Dundas West led by chef Kyle Rindinella has become such a popular hot spot over the years. Earlier this year, the partners opened a sister location called Ristorante Sociale on King Street. The 3,700-sq.-ft. space can seat up to 110 guests and is inspired by 1970s Italian steakhouses, offering an upscale dinner service that transitions into a sophisticated celebration with live entertainment, including dining-room dancers and a nightly DJ.
Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, Libretto Restaurant Group’s portfolio includes five Pizzeria Libretto locations throughout Toronto, as well as its two Michelin-recognized pasta-focused dining establishments, and a central commissary kitchen in Markham, Ont. where it produces Neapolitan frozen pizza and other grocery items, led by Deni Di Tullio, retail sales and partner. Its pizzas are sold in 250 stores throughout Toronto and Ontario, including at grocery chains such as Loblaws, Rabba Fine Foods, Whole Foods and Farm Boy, as well as a number of independent grocers.
The commissary, which evolved during the pandemic, was an important turning point for the company, says Rimaldi. “We were facing zero revenues and half of the staff had moved away.”
The idea for selling frozen pizza took hold, he adds. “It’s an incredible story that we’re very proud of. It became a whole new world for us.”
Production started in one of their existing restaurant locations, but demand was so high, they kept exceeding capacity. They then moved the frozen-pizza operations to a dedicated facility, complete with loading docks and delivery trucks, producing 15,000 to 35,000 pizzas a week depending on the season.
“We still keep on pushing capacity,” says Rimaldi. “It has been a massive learning opportunity.”
With competition heating up over the years, the Libretto Group prides itself on always staying ahead of the curve while remaining true to the principles that started it all. “Rather than looking at what others are doing, we move forward with the things we believe in and what makes sense for us — such as always making sure we use local, seasonal ingredients,” says Agostino. “For example, we went to a cheese maker in Toronto to create a fior di latte cheese that didn’t exist at the time.”
“The other part of our success is something that is hard to see, but I can always feel it,” says Rimaldi. “It comes from the horrible experiences I had in the industry at a time when kitchens were very militaristic, and chefs ruled by fear. Believe it or not, I was that person as well. Chef Rocco and chef Kyle are cut from a different cloth; one that shows kindness and support in the kitchen. Without giving away our secret sauce, it really comes down to wanting to operate differently. It sounds corny, but it’s a real thing.”
As local mainstays, Agostino says they often take part in fundraising events, including annual pizza events at Brickworks and Christie Pits to support organizations such as the David Suzuki Foundation. “We also take part in events for Foodshare. We’re really big on family and kids, which is where we donate our efforts.”
The company also has a strong affiliation with colleges such as George Brown to encourage students to stay in the industry as part of the Italian program.
While they are not back to pre-COVID sales or staffing levels in their restaurants, Rimaldi is hopeful sales will return to the 90 per cent-plus range by the end of the year. “The big chunk that has been missing is the lunches.”
Ultimately staying ahead of the game comes down to the intangible aspects, says Rimaldi. “We make sure our staff is happy so when they serve customers, you can really feel that warm hospitality. From a food perspective, chef Rocco is unrelenting when it comes to quality. Everything must pass the blind-tasting test first. Then we talk about price.”
On the operational side, the partners are vigilant about their financials down to the smallest detail, says Rimaldi. “We have always taken our financials seriously. From day one we have used software to track daily sales, labour, and costs right down to the minute. We can see exactly where we are for any week and know what needs to be pushed or cut. It’s like any other business. If you’re not crossing your t’s and dotting i’s, you’re in big trouble.”
The partners have often been approached by real-estate developers about expanding, he adds. “My answer always is, ‘I’m interested in this space if the timing is right.’ We are not going to force expansion for the sake of it, but rather on finding more creative and smart ways to do business.”
