The Italian Village Restaurants is a trio of restaurants under one roof with something for many appetites.

Premier Business Partners:

Gonnella Baking Co. Anichini Brothers

The Italian Village, located on the second floor of the building, is a traditional Italian restaurant that was founded in 1927 by Italian immigrant Alfredo Capitanini. Reminiscent of an Italian village, the casual dining restaurant celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2007, says Al Capitanini, managing family partner and third-generation owner. La Cantina Italian Chophouse (originally known as La Cantina), which opened in 1955, is located on the lower level. Evoking a wine cellar feel, the medium-priced restaurant specializes in steak and seafood. The top floor is home to Vivere – which means “to live”– an upscale restaurant that opened in 1990.

“[Customers] can walk into the main entrance – which is sort of an artery for all three – and if someone is looking for pizza or fettuccini, they can go to the Village, or if someone is looking for steak, they can go to La Cantina, or if they want high-end [dining], they can go to Vivere,” Capitanini explains, noting that the restaurants serve approximately 1,000 patrons a day. “It allows us to capture all types of customers. We’re not limited by one restaurant or by one price structure. It’s kind of an anomaly.”

The restaurants attract the gamut of customers, from business guests to theater patrons and tourists. “It’s hard to pinpoint [our regular customers],” Capitanini says. “That’s the beauty of it. Because of our price structure, just the fact that we’re open, we capture all guests. It’s a good mix of customers for us.” 

The Village is open seven days a week, while the other two restaurants are open six days, he adds.

Each floor averages about 5,000 square feet, and the three restaurants have separate kitchens and staff, employing a total of 100 people. In addition, The Italian Village Restaurants houses a wine cellar in a separate room on top of the building. With a collection of 40,000 bottles that boasts 1,500 to 1,600 selections, Capitanini says, wine has become a “part and parcel of our dining experience.”

Pleasing Customers
The foodservice industry has become more competitive, Capitanini notes, and location plays a big factor in whether a restaurant will thrive. In addition, since customers today prefer an “in and out” eating experience, Capitanini says, the company has to adapt to this trend.

The Italian Village Restaurants competes with national chains, independent restaurants and fast-food outlets. “In the Loop, people prefer grabbing a sandwich for lunch and bringing it back to the office,” he observes. “So, we have taken an aggressive approach to delivery and carry-out [services] to combat those people who want to stay in.” The company also recently embarked on a room service plan for a local hotel. 

If capital is not used correctly, Capitanini notes, the cost of running a restaurant could also put a dent to the business. “There are a lot of fees involved not only from a products cost basis, but also in financial operations both in labor and also the cost of insurance,” he explains. “All those things tie together. But, we’re lucky we own the real estate, so that’s one good thing for us. Our taxes go up, but we are not saddled with a lease over our heads.

“We’re lucky that my grandfather was smart enough to buy the building, but at the end of the day, we have to look at the bottom line – the pricing. We’re always hesitant to raise prices, but all [commodities] go up – dairy, veal, etc. But, we don’t really raise prices on a big level. If we have to, we only raise it to 3 percent as opposed to others who raise it to 5 percent. That may be one of the reasons why we survive.”

However, one way to make it big in the business is to take care of the customers, Capitanini adds. “If you please your customers, you will never go wrong,” he emphasizes. You need a well-balanced restaurant to do that. We have three different kinds of menu and it gives us the oomph to capture everybody’s [tastes].”

Controlled Quality
Although it is expanding some of its services, Capitanini says he wants the company to grow at a reasonable pace. Quality takes the front seat for the Italian Village Restaurants, he emphasizes. “It’s the control of making sure that we can produce the same quality of food and service like how my grandfather did it,” he states. “We’re comfortable right now. But, if something great comes along, something that grabs us, we’ll see. You’ll never know – the fourth generation might want to do something different.”

Capitanini praises his grandfather’s eye for success. “It all goes back to my grandfather and the second generation – they laid a seed for us to succeed and the groundwork to carry on,” he says. “Although Gina and I have been here for 20 years, we still think about how the past generation of owners would think.

“Each generation gives their own perspective and framework to carry on to the next generation, and not a lot of businesses can last as long as we have.”