Buca Di Beppo's interior might be a little tacky,
but that's part of the popular Italian chain restaurant's charm.
That and those giant meatballs, of course! This is the untold truth of Buca Di Beppo.
If you've ever been to a Buca Di Beppo, then you probably understand just how
charming the restaurant can be. Between the food and the decorations, it's definitely a
memorable time that's for sure. And as it turns out, the chain was actually started
because one man wanted to bring the essence of an old-school Italian joint back home with him.
According to Bon Appetit, the founder of Buca Di Beppo,
Phil Roberts. became infatuated with the red-sauce joints of the Northeastern
U.S. He had never seen anything like them in his home town of Minneapolis. Roberts told the outlet:
"The way they displayed wealth was in the food they served. They kept the Christmas
lights on all year-round. They hung up velvet paintings of Mount Vesuvius."
So, Roberts wanted to bring a red-sauce joint to the midwest, and that's what really inspired the
idea of Buca Di Beppo — a classic red-sauce joint that could thrive just about anywhere.
"You should try dipping your bread in... "
"Mmm!" "The sauce."
Even though Phil Roberts was inspired by the red-sauce joints of the Northeast,
there was one thing that he wanted his restaurant to be above all else:
accessible. Though his hometown of Minneapolis obviously had some Italian restaurants, he wanted
to open one that no one would feel intimidated by. In an interview with Twin Cities Business, Roberts
explained that he was sick of Italian restaurants all being so fancy. Roberts told the outlet:
"When we started Buca, all the Italian restaurants were sleek and slick,
with marble and beveled glass and granite and all that, so I said, 'You know? I want a sleeves-up
restaurant where the guest feels superior to the restaurant, rather than being looked down on.'"
So, Buca Di Beppo was born. And honestly,
the down-to-earth restaurant was exactly what Roberts wanted it to be, partly because of
the atmosphere he had created, and partly because of where his first location was.
If you thought Buca Di Beppo was a weird restaurant name, then hold on to your hat,
because you're going to be shocked that it loosely translates to
"my buddy's basement." And that's exactly where the first-ever Buca Di Beppo opened
up. Specifically, the first-ever location of the eventual chain restaurant opened in 1993
in the basement of an apartment building in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Clearly, founder Phil Roberts wanted the name to be clever, while still sounding super Italian.
And he definitely achieved that. Obviously, all the Buca Di Beppo restaurant locations
these days are in actual buildings, not basements, but it's a pretty cool
concept that you can't go to one without paying a little homage to the original.
After all, plenty of things have changed since then, but the name, the style,
and the pure intention of Buca Di Beppo has not, and that's what makes it so special.
Unlike most other Italian restaurants, the food at Buca Di Beppo is almost
exclusively served family-style, which means it's meant to be shared by the table.
This obviously means that eating at Buca Di Beppo probably isn't ideal for a date night
where each person wants their own dish, but it's just part of the Buca charm.
Reviews online of Buca Di Beppo are sure to mention that the family-style service
isn't for everyone, and can make your meal a lot more expensive than you were
planning on if you aren't careful. One reviewer on Tripadvisor warned:
"We were not aware that we could not each order what we wanted.
Be sure you know this in advance. Meals have to be shared."
Obviously, being a family-style restaurant means that Buca Di Beppo might not be for
everyone for every occasion. But if you know that you and a few other friends or
family members will all want the same thing, then it might just be worth it.
While Buca Di Beppo first got started way back in 1993 by Phil Roberts in a small basement,
it's now a huge and successful business. And part of that is because it was actually part of a huge
buyout in 2008, which officially made the chain restaurant part of the Planet Hollywood group.
According to Reuters, Planet Hollywood bought Buca Inc. for a whopping $9.7 million,
minus any debt. Obviously, that's a large amount of money and a huge deal for Buca.
Additionally, as the chain has continued to grow and expand after the buyout,
it's clear that it was also a smart business decision on their part.
While it seems that the purchase of Buca by Planet Hollywood means that the original founder,
Phil Roberts, would no longer be involved with the restaurant, that hasn't slowed down the chain.
More locations have opened, and Roberts himself has gone on to start and run several more
successful restaurant businesses. Clearly, this was a good deal for everyone involved.
Obviously, since Buca Di Beppo is an Italian joint,
they know how to make a good meatball. Whether it's in a sandwich, on a bowl of spaghetti,
or just served by itself with some sauce, there's nothing quite like a tasty meatball,
and at Buca Di Beppo, it might just be what the chain is most famous for.
"And I've never seen meatballs literally the size of my fist before."
In fact, in a cooking segment with Marie Osmond , a Buca Di Beppo chef explained
that the chain restaurant's signature dish might just be their meatballs. As the chef explained,
the meatball at Buca Di Beppo is super special, always homemade, and uses a secret recipe. If
you've ever eaten at a Buca Di Beppo then you know just how delicious their meatballs are,
and while you might not want to make a giant version for yourself at home, the recipe is
surprisingly simple and definitely a way you can bring the taste of Buca into your own home.
Aside from the food, the thing that probably makes Buca Di Beppo stand out amongst its competitors
is the decor inside the restaurant. Unlike many other chains out there,
Buca doesn't try to look super fancy or even classy.
Instead, the decor is pretty ugly, gaudy, and tacky. But it's that way on purpose.
In an interview with Twin Cities Business, Buca Di Beppo's founder, Phil Roberts,
recalled a time when he overheard a customer talking about the decor in the restaurant,
referencing some, quote, "god-awful piece of Roman revival statuary."
But that wasn't all the customer said. Roberts remembered that she also told her husband,
"I would never have a piece like that in my house!"
And for Roberts, that was exactly the point. Roberts told the publication,
"And I thought, 'Yes! Yes! Yes! We did it!'"
Clearly, part of the joy that comes with eating at Buca Di Beppo is in admiring the tacky decor.
Hey, at least it makes your time there memorable.
"I love their food. But the atmosphere. You go in there it's, uh, it's authentic Italian."
If you've ever been to Italy, then you know that the food at places like Olive Garden
isn't exactly authentic Italian food.
"The Olive Garden. When you're here, you're family."
Then again, most Italian restaurants in America aren't very authentic. However, because Buca Di
Beppo was inspired by old-school red-sauce joints, you might expect it to be a little more real
Italian. However, that assumption would be wrong. According to Tim Alevizos, a consultant who worked
on Buca's branding, people didn't really care if the food was authentic. Alevizos told Bon Appetit,
"As the original red sauce joints were dying off, Buca was the introduction to that type of Italian.
I don't know if they were keyed into whether Buca was authentic or not,
but they didn't have a lot to compare it to. Plus, it was fun and the food was tasty."
Even though Buca Di Beppo came from humble beginnings, there's no denying
that the chain restaurant soon turned into a hugely successful and profitable business.
However, all of that almost came to a swift end in the mid-2000s following some financial drama.
As Bon Appetit reported, it was in 2006 when CEO Joseph Micatrotto as
well as two more executives for Buca all got sentenced to jail
for allegedly inflating the income for Buca Di Beppo and taking money.
That money wasn't put back into the restaurant ​​— it was used on the renovation of an Italian villa.
After that, Nasdaq even delisted the restaurant and it almost went out of business entirely.
It wasn't until Planet Hollywood swooped in to save it in 2008 that Buca Di Beppo was
off the chopping block. Clearly, even the most successful businesses in the
restaurant industry can't avoid scandal and financial distress.
Celebrities love it
If there's one thing that Buca Di Beppo has bragging rights on, it's that celebrities
of all kinds have flocked to the chain restaurant since it first opened. In fact,
one celebrity was so fond of the restaurant that actually partnered with them and redecorated one
of their party rooms. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Dorit Kemsley actually
designed the restaurant's Capri Room in Encino, California. And the restaurant and room were even
featured on an episode of the hit Bravo show. As Kemsley explained on an episode of the series,
"My son's godfather, Robert Earl, who's a very dear friend of ours, owns the chain.
When I moved, he's like, 'Well you know Buca's around the corner from you?'
And I said, 'Oh my gosh, I might need to put my stamp on it.' And he was just like, 'Sure.'"
Clearly, the restaurant is for just about everyone.
From celebrities to your average Joe — everyone can enjoy a good time at Buca Di Beppo.
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