When you walk into the Monte Carlo Italian Deli in Burbank, California, you’ll see wooden statues of Pinocchio everywhere — a nod to the attached cafeteria-style restaurant named after the character. It’s unpretentious, big portions and you can get a glass of red wine for just $4.25.
Cathy Hampel was waiting in line at the deli. She went to Monte Carlo to stock up for the holidays.
“I love their sausages. It tastes just like ours,” said Hampel, who has been coming there since the 1970s. She said it’s like a second home. “It’s just a nice feeling because I see Italians speaking Italian, which I haven’t heard in years.”
It’s comfortable and familiar, and it’s one of the main reasons people come to restaurants like Monte Carlo during the holidays. This time of year, people are dining out more, either for convenience (because they’re too busy to cook) or to meet up with friends or family.
Many people are drawn to the familiarity of old-fashioned, multi-generational restaurants that create a unique atmosphere over the decades. That’s a difference from sit-down chains, many of which have struggled this year. More than a dozen prestigious names, like the red lobster And TGI Friday, filed for bankruptcy this year. Others launched value offers to get people through the door.
In recent years, restaurants have been facing intense pressures from shortages, inflation and rising labor costs. But despite all these problems, restaurants like Monte Carlo have remained afloat.
Anthony Scuticchio, who took over Monte Carlo from his father-in-law, said the week of Christmas Eve was a bit hectic. The restaurant industry is flooded with hundreds of takeout orders for lasagna and eggplant parmesan, and the deli business is tripling.
“People arrive here on December 22, they draw a number and have to wait maybe an hour and a half for the number to be called. But they’re having a good time with it,” he said.
Scuticchio said his customers are willing to wait for a traditional meal. Additionally, celebrities sometimes make appearances. Jay Leno sometimes stops by and tells jokes online, which keeps the mood light.
But Monte Carlo, like many restaurants, is struggling with inflation. Scuticchio had to raise his prices: that glass of cheap red wine costs 30 cents more than last year.
“If a piece of cheese goes up, you go up in price,” he said. “But what do you do when your gas bill doubles. What to do when your electricity bill increases? These are difficult things to calculate.
But he hopes his customers will stay loyal to him, partly out of nostalgia.
Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research at the National Restaurant Association, said when people go out, they want a unique experience. The younger generations are building on the restaurant model from the 1950s to the 1970she added.
“You know, there’s a saying in the industry that what’s old is new again,” he said.
Riehle said restaurants can count on a good increase in sales between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Last year, restaurant holiday spending increased nearly 8% from the year before, according to Mastercard’s SendingPulse indicator.
That’s partly due to holiday gatherings, which keep business moving at the 62-year-old Casita del Campo Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood.
“There’s so much celebration,” said owner Robert del Campo. “Thank God.”
He took over his parents’ restaurant. Over the years, it has become a haven for the queer community, and that welcoming atmosphere is still at the heart of the business.
“When they walk through that door at Casita del Campo, that’s it,” he said. “You are loved, you are embraced, you are treated with dignity.”
People also come for the fresh food, like the chilis en nogada. They make it special for the holidays because of its festive red, white, and green colors, which also represent the Mexican flag.
“It’s a chile poblano stuffed with different kinds of meat and spices, and on top of the nut sauce are fresh pomegranate seeds,” he said.
Del Campo has struggled to keep the restaurant going in recent years. Revenues are down. Competing restaurants are appearing in the neighborhood. He had to reduce his overtime hours and dip into his savings.
But he’s grateful his late father had the foresight to buy the land, so at least there’s no mortgage on the business. It also helps that he has a long-term vision for a restaurant that has withstood decades of change. Del Campo still relies on his father’s advice.
“You can’t do anything about what’s happening here or there,” he said. “You just have to focus on your space.”
In an industry that’s always looking for the next big thing, restaurants might be better off highlighting what they already have.
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