51st Episode of The Restaurant Dealmaker Show Adriano Paganini Founder & CEO, Back of the House Adriano Paganini, one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most accomplished restaurateurs and the founder and CEO of Back of the House, makes his first-ever podcast appearance on an upcoming episode of The Restaurant Dealmaker Show, hosted by restaurant industry veteran and Restaurant Realty Company founder Steve Zimmerman. Paganini, the founder and CEO of Back of the House, rarely participates in long-form interviews, making the episode an unusual opportunity to hear directly from the entrepreneur behind some of the Bay Area’s most recognizable and successful restaurant concepts. In this candid, wide-ranging conversation, Paganini discusses the strategy, discipline and instincts required to create restaurants that resonate with their communities and remain relevant in a constantly changing marketplace. He also shares his perspective on identifying promising opportunities, developing distinctive brands, expanding without sacrificing quality and building a hospitality company positioned for long-term success. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Adriano Paganini 03:21 The Journey of a Restaurateur 09:57 Challenges in the Restaurant Business 18:08 Balancing Creativity and Business 21:11 Adapting to Economic Challenges 24:44 Meaningful Accomplishments in the Industry 26:46 Qualities of Effective Leadership 30:03 Future Growth Plans The episode also explores Zimmerman and Paganini’s longstanding professional relationship, including a recent restaurant transaction completed with the assistance of Restaurant Realty Company. ABOUT ADRIANO PAGANINI Adriano Paganini is the founder and CEO of Back of the House, one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most prolific and respected restaurant groups. Born and raised in Milan, Paganini began his culinary career in Europe before moving to San Francisco, where he established Pasta Pomodoro and helped grow it from a neighborhood restaurant into a successful regional brand. In 2009, he founded Back of the House with a vision to create distinctive, approachable restaurants built around exceptional food, thoughtful design, genuine hospitality and lasting value. Today, Back of the House operates more than 40 restaurants across a diverse portfolio of acclaimed concepts, including Beretta, Super Duper Burgers, The Bird, Delarosa, Lolinda, Wildseed, Starbelly, Flores, A Mano, The Tailor’s Son and Corzetti. Each restaurant is designed to reflect the character of its neighborhood while delivering the consistency, quality and welcoming experience that have become hallmarks of the company. Recognized as one of the Bay Area’s most accomplished restaurateurs, Paganini has built Back of the House around a people-first culture that develops talent from within and gives experienced team members opportunities to become leaders and operating partners. His philosophy combines culinary creativity with operational discipline, an unwavering commitment to value and the belief that memorable restaurants should feel inclusive rather than exclusive. LIVE EVERYWHERE YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS Watch the show on Facebook & YouTube. Podcasts are now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and wherever you get your podcasts! Join the 1.2 Million+ views of our 52 Episodes. Join restaurant industry veteran Steve Zimmerman, Principal Broker and Founder of Restaurant Realty in a 1-on-1 fireside chat with restaurant owners, managers, investors and high profile industry clientele sharing their restaurant deal making experiences, success stories, challenges, and more. Launched in January 2022, the Restaurant Dealmaker Show has yielded 1.2M+ views of its 51 episodes via YouTube, Facebook and podcasts. Learn more at RestaurantDealmaker.com INTERESTED in a being a guest? Reach out to Producer Jeremy Broekman at Jeremy@RestaurantRealty.com or call 818-212-9201. ABOUT RESTAURANT REALTY Now celebrating our 30th year, Restaurant Realty Company® has a successful track record helping over 3,400 clients in completing over $1,000,000,000 (billion) of Business and Real Estate Transactions including the following: Selling/leasing over 1,700 restaurant, bar and/or nightclub businesses, Selling over 80 related commercial buildings, Leasing over 3.5 Million square feet of commercial space and Completing over 7,000 valuations. The majority of our staff have either owned and/or managed restaurants. Our deep experience as operators means we understand your business from the inside out. Restaurant Realty has Closed Escrow and/or Leased 400+ Deals since 2020! #RestaurantBrokers #RestaurantBrokerage #SteveZimmerman
