In this episode, a husband-and-wife team share their story of how combined experience in the building trades and restaurant operations led to a series of successful restaurants in second-generation spaces. Meet Michael and Robyn Bordes.

Michael is a seasoned contractor. Robyn started working in restaurants at the age of 13. In the summer of 2021, Robyn found an unoccupied space in their hometown of Greenwich Connecticut. The next day, they purchased a 50-year-old deli that needed a lot of work. “Thankfully, I was able to do most of the re-do,” says Michael.

With a menu based on their family’s favorites, they named the restaurant after Robyn’s father. Constantino’s is a small, casual, full-service Italian concept that has quickly become a neighborhood favorite for pasta and pizza.

They opened a second Constantino’s unit a year after the first, in a neighboring town 15 minutes away. The Bordes then found another small space that became available in the wake of a Covid business closure. There, they created “Constantino’s Homemade Ice Cream”.

The couple continues to seek opportunities for expansion. “We have found locations nearby for two concepts we are developing right now,” says Michael. “We look forward to opening Constantino’s Pasta Bowl, a counter-service build-your-own pasta dish concept, as well as Love you Latte, a small breakfast and lunch coffeehouse later in 2023."

Operating several locations, six days a week, and with more than half of sales from takeout and delivery business in the early days of their business, required them to ramp up systems and procedures to assure quality and consistency. “We learned very quickly how important it is to create a staff that works together as a team and helps each other like family," says Robyn. Adding to the couple’s recipe for multiunit success are hands-on ownership, quality ingredients, active social media, and community involvement.