NAPOLI FOODS CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
10 Main St, Middletown, CT 06457 Sales Associate: Lee Kopel
(860) 343-3300
mondomiddletown.com
mondomiddletown
Interviewed: Keith Vibert
History:
Prior to opening Mondo Keith Vibert worked for a number of years at Naples Pizza in Farmington CT (which he highly recommends if you’re ever in Central CT). “The owner of Naples, Kurt Kruczek allowed me to be a minority partner in Mondo when it first opened, before later in 2013 selling and financing the sale of the business to me. I owe Kurt a lot and take great pride in creating a pizza and experience here in Middletown that is (hopefully) on par with what he offers in Farmington.” Keith opened his doors to Mondo in late September 2010. Mondo specializes in New York-Style thin crust pizza cooked in a brick oven. Mondo takes pride in preparing many other menu items, all prepared fresh in house. Besides their amazing food selection, Mondo has a great and ever changing beer and wine selection to complement their food. An amazing decision Mondo made is to feature products from other local businesses to support them, such as selling cupcakes from a local bakery.
What is the most popular item on the menu?
Keith says, “This is a very boring answer but it’s Cheese Pizza! Other menu items that get a lot of attention are our Toscano salad and the delicious polenta croutons we offer with it.” He adds that people enjoy his seasonal items when they return on his menu such as Brussel Sprout Pies containing Roasted Brussels, Sopressata, Red Onion, Garlic Cream, Asiago, as well as their Heirloom Tomato Salad containing House focaccia, Heirloom Tomatoes, Burrata and house made red wine vinaigrette.
What sets your restaurant apart from the competition?
“Hopefully it’s our customer service! The goal for me as a restaurant owner is to of course offer great food that makes people want to come back for but without great customer service it does not matter how good your food is! Like all things in life it’s the people and personal interactions that stick with you. So yes, make a great product but you have to have great people too!” Keith says.
Why work with Napoli Foods?
“We work with Napoli for the same reasons that I hope people do business with me… great ingredients and great customer service. Our original salesperson, Marco Marcelo, was always there whenever I needed anything, full stop. Marco made my life easier in a million ways and even after his promotion, which we were very happy to see him get because he deserved it. Marco is still there for us should the need arise! Our (current) salesperson, Lee Kopel has picked up where Marco left off. Having worked with Napoli for about 6 years now it’s clear to me that they understand customer service,” Keith replies.
Any advice for other restaurant owners?
“Sure, and I struggle with this a lot. When you’re not at work, don’t be at work! This is an incredibly hard business to be in and I used to leave work and go home and be looking at my cameras a few times an hour or be checking the numbers to see what type of night we were having and that was all at the expense of being present with my family.” He adds that “Obviously, to make a restaurant work you will need to work long, weird hours but when you do manage to have some free time trust your people to run it the right way.” He concludes by saying that this is all necessary for an important work/life balance.