Heart, soul of Italy in Mt Eden Village
As authentic as authentic can be, Pasta & Cuore in the heart of Mt Eden Village serves beautifully simple, handmade pasta, using treasured family recipes. The chef and some of the staff are from Bologna in Italy which has been the inspiration for this gem of a restaurant. Scan the “interweb” and it is simply heaped with glowing articles and reviews.
Nick Giles of Link Business Broking is offering the business to the market for the first time.
He says, “This wonderful business was founded by Stefania Ugolini, and her personal journey has influenced the menu and philosophy of the restaurant.”
As Stefania says on the restaurant’s website: “I am convinced that authenticity and quality are two pillars of international cuisine. That is why here and now, in this new land, I decided to open [her family’s] precious notebooks and share with you what they lovingly shared with me.”
Pasta & Cuore's menu is small and each element is a labour of love. While Stefania’s personal history influenced the menu in its early days, today it is chef Gabriele Marangoni who adds his own mastery.
Marangoni is the heart of Pasta & Cuore and his passion for the cuisine and the restaurant is undeniable. “For me it is about quality ingredients, passion and great artisanal skills. I believe these are the key ingredients for a successful business and these are the things that have driven me here for six years. I love to see our customers coming back because they appreciate the quality and the effort put in every day, in order to always deliver at the top.”
Over the years, Marangoni has taken on more and more of the running of the business. Giles says, “I know that the sale has been an emotional decision one for
Stefania and John, but I also know that having Gabriele in place to carry on the legacy is important to them.
“This is a supremely well-organised and nicely profitable business. Open just five days for lunch and dinner it is a business that punches above its weight. Weekly sales are nice and strong, the costs are well controlled, and a working owner can expect to earn around $280,000 per annum. The team have got the business running extremely efficiently.”
It can be a little more challenging to invest in an ‘authentic’ restaurant and especially one that is so very well-known and highly renowned.
“Sometimes, the market worries about an owner moving on and what may happen to the business once they have left. Add real ‘authenticity’ to the mix and the worries grow,” Giles says.
Pasta & Cuore, however, is different. Stefania has stepped back from the business over the years and the staff are incredibly well trained and capable.
“Whenever I work with an owner to sell a business such as Pasta & Cuore, foremost in my mind is ‘who will buy it?’ and ‘how will they run it?’. The market is all about ‘future maintainable earnings’,” Giles says.
“Gabriele is very much Pasta & Cuore these days and has such a deep passion for the business. If he could, he would buy it. That should give some real confidence to anyone looking to invest in this business. You have a key person who is proud of what he does, genuinely wants to stay and would even like to own it. I know what I would be doing if I were looking to buy it.”
The business is for sale at $725,000 plus stock. Contact: Nick Giles, ph 021 676 832, nick.giles@linkbusiness.co.nz.