Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Tocchini.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started in the restaurant industry as a line cook in Boulder, Colorado during my university years. As I carried on in restuarants I realized that I needed to start learning the front of the house, where I could make money easier and more quickly for the world travels I was really interested in. I saw numerous friends get swallowed up by their independent cafes, bakeries and restaurants over the years and swore I’d never manage nor own a restaurant.
I worked off and on with my mentor(future business partner) for some 6 years before he approached me with the idea for MiNGO in Beaverton. I was skeptical but clear with my boundaries and we came to an agreement. Starting a fine dining restaurant out here in 2004 wasn’t easy nor was it expected, but we survived(the Recessions, Covid) and thrived. Not only is the restaurant about good food and drink for me, but primarily it’s about people and community, both our workers and our customers. I am happy and proud to have employees who’ve been with me for over 22 years, who’ve started families, bought houses, taken trips to Italy and lived their lives as a part of our little MiNGO family.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ha!!! Restaurants, smooth?!?!?!? Oh no.
You’re never assured of what’s going to happen, you never get your place set and your path cleared for you. Every night is a different service and a different set of customers, employees, challenges and successes. It is organized chaos every step of the way.
The Recession and Covid were, obviously, huge world issues which challenged and almost sunk us. But we have persevered until now and hope to do so for the foreseeable future.
As you know, we’re big fans of MiNGO Restaurant. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a 100 seat independent restaurant with 50+ employees in a time when restaurants of our size are generally run by groups. We pride ourselves on giving our employees and fun and respectful working environment and a work/life balance in which they can thrive. As the owner, and having done every job in restaurants during my pre-ownership days, I am involved at all levels of the restaurant’s workings. I will help with whatever different job that needs to be done, having worked in the kitchen(for months at a time during Covid) and as lunch bartender(for years pre & post Covid). Yet I believe in and trust my management team with the daily running of the operation. For years developers tried to get me to open another restaurant somewhere else and I always resisted. I like what I do where I do it and I like knowing both my employees and my customers on a more intimate level than just numbers and figures on paper.
MiNGO as a restaurant is well known for the sense of community it fosters amongst regulars, for consistently delicious food and cocktails, for a well thought out wine list and for service that makes you feel like family. We do an excellent job with fresh pasta(ravioli, thinly layered lasagna and more), risotto(always dicey when eating at a restaurant, but we excel in this) and seafood. Our cocktails are rotating continuously with the seasons and our wine list has the depth of 20+ year iconic wines as well as $40 every night bottles for easy enjoyment. We have 4 dishes on the menu which have stood since our sister restaurant opened in the middle 90’s: penne al sugo di carne, Mingo salad(our version of a caesar), spiedini di gamberi and our gnocchi alla romana. They are all still among, if not, our top sellers and people come here just for their cravings of these dishes.
I feel like the two things which set us apart are simple and straight forward: we use quality ingredients and we are here every day, as management and ownership. Italian food sources from incredible product put together in simple ways, and we’ve tried to stay true to this philosophy. We make everything except for a couple of breads and our gelato in house and we make it with these quality ingredients on a daily basis. Our management team has been with us as employees since we opened, save our kitchen manager who’s been with us for 7+ years. These long term employees have helped us carry our culture of high standards, inclusivity and fun across the decades and have inoculated the workers who have joined us along the way. This is one of the reasons customers continue to return: for their favorite servers, for the way we treat them, for the goodbyes we always voice as they leave, for our attention and care for them in our restaurant.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
it’s a journey, hold what’s important to you firm and be willing to change to keep those goals foremost. Don’t get too confident, show up daily, have fun.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mingowest.com
- Instagram: @mingobeaverton
