Great service makes a great meal, and few restaurant managers have gained as much respect over the years as Piccolino’s Ettore Cicchetti. He’s worked with Steven Walker, chief executive of the Individual Restaurant Company, for over 20 years, securing Piccolino’s place as one of Manchester’s leading Italian restaurants along the way. So what’s his secret?
Ettore concedes that it’s not possible to give “110 percent all the time - sometimes the restaurant is just too busy, we can all be stretched”. But his ambition to go above and beyond really has seen Piccolino reap the rewards.
Over brunch in the new-look restaurant, he smiles and chats to everyone who comes in: “I say to my waiters: you don’t need to rush, I don’t need legs in this place, I need brains.” His standards aren’t just high; he expects Piccolino’s team to anticipate customers needs – a toothpick, perhaps – and deliver what’s required without being asked. Yet he’s no dragon; the team look at ease as they bustle back and forth, getting the restaurant ready for the lunchtime rush.
Ettore’s aptitude for the hospitality business first became apparent when he was a child. His dad owned a hotel on the Italian coast in Catania near to Rimini on the Adriatic Sea where nine-year-old Ettore and his brother, who was only 7 at the time, ran the wine cellar. “We’d unload the bottles, and keep them all in their correct places” he recalls.
But the family business was sold due to his father’s health before Ettore could take over and the sons were encouraged to pursue a career in accounting. He says: “My dad really didn’t want me to work in the restaurant business. It’s fair to say he tried everything to stop me.”
Back then, bar work was lucrative and soon he was working in hotels in Switzerland, before moving to England in the late 1980s. Ettore’s first job was at a pizzeria in the Ramada hotel on Deansgate. Later, he joined Est Est Est in Didsbury – his first encounter with Steven Walker - and he started his ascent to the top with by taking a managerial role at the city centre branch of Est Est Est, which is now Grill on the Alley.
He says: “I remember visiting Market Street and seeing a bin that was hidden beneath a whole mountain of rubbish”. These days the streets are cleaner– and Manchester’s food scene has polished up its act too. “Our customers know all about food – trust me – you can’t fool them,” he says, adding that, “our steak is amazing; especially big pieces to share like t-bone and côte de boeuf. When you order a cut like this, it’s theatrical and we never get any complaints because our customers know they are getting the best.”
His only sticking point is Manchester’s relationship with wine: “At the end of the day, 20% of people want to try something new. We have an in-house sommelier and three wine gurus who are qualified in the company to suggest wines and tell you about wine. But most people end up ordering the same wine.”
Ettore’s tipple of choice is Italian white Verdicchio that’s ideally suited to pairing with food and very popular in his hometown. In terms of food, it’s fish all the way. An ideal lunch would be linguine gamberetti followed by sea bass at Piccolino. A man of simple tastes, then, with a winning philosophy when it comes to customer service.
Caffé Grande Piccolino, 8 Clarence St, Manchester M2 4DW
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