Hospitality Management
Nick ValentiRestaurant Associates
As the President and CEO of Restaurant Associates, Nick Valenti oversees a foodservice empire that defines and expands state-of-the-art dining year after year. Armed with a rare combination of business acumen and a diversified dining sensibility, Valenti -- who was named to his current position in January 1994 -- has overseen the company's growth to its current stature as a $300 million organization. His knack for creating innovative concepts and managing their growth and development has become synonymous with Restaurant Associates' reputation for variety and perfectionism. "We understand each of our markets and we have the ability to provide products to satisfy them," says Valenti of the company's success. He also prides himself on Restaurant Associates' ability to enlist the best talent available and nurture it in the most suitable venue. "Whether someone has an interest in fine seafood or rustic Italian cuisine, we have a restaurant appropriate for him or her."
Valenti himself personifies these aspects of Restaurant Associates. He first joined the company in 1968 as a management trainee in the company's airport division. He quickly demonstrated his aptitude for the restaurant business at John Peel, a restaurant on Long Island that became a major dining destination during his six years as manager. Valenti implemented numerous innovations, supporting them with aggressive marketing, and increased the restaurant's business several times over. Valenti's talent for visual design and concept development has made Restaurant Associates a much different company than when Valenti joined it. In 1981, he became President of the Restaurant Group, which includes the theme restaurant and foodservice divisions, and initiated new foodservice operations at Longwood Gardens. In 1988, he developed Panevino, an innovative and trend-setting group of casual, moderately-priced Tuscan restaurants in New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
Three years later, he assumed responsibility for the 25 Charlie Brown's Steakhouses and six Office Beer Bar & Grill locations throughout suburban New Jersey. Sales and profits at these units were dramatically increased through a program of improving food quality, service and value. Valenti also completed an agreement for Restaurant Associates to create and operate the restaurants at the Harvard Business School, the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Sony Corporation. 1995 witnessed the opening of Restaurant Associates' restaurant at the Music Center of Los Angeles. It also began operation of the Guggenheim Museum Cafe in New York City.
In New York City -- the restaurant capital
of the United States -- Valenti has positioned Restaurant Associates
in many of the city's world-renowned landmarks. Café Centro
provides a Parisian bistro experience for commuters and neighbors
of Grand Central Station. Restaurant Associates also handles the
foodservice concerns at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln
Center (as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.). From
Restaurant Associates' headquarters in midtown Manhattan, Valenti
serves on the boards of Citymeals-on-Wheels and the NYC chapter
of the New York State Restaurant Association. He is also a member
of the Board of Trustees of the Culinary Institute of America, and
serves on the Advisory Board of the Hotel & Restaurant School
at Syracuse University. In 1995, Valenti was awarded the IFMA's
Silver Palate Award, the industry's premier accolade, for his achievements
as an independent restaurateur. Born in Italy and raised in the
U.S., Valenti currently resides in Oyster Bay Cove, New York with
his wife and two daughters.
