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Struthers restaurants dish out their business strategies
By SARAH LEHR
STRUTHERS
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” is a saying that aptly fits the restaurant industry.
The business is notorious for its unpredictability, long hours and high turnover of employees.
Struthers is not immune to this pressure – its downtown, for instance, houses several shuttered storefronts. Cafe Dell’s D’Italia on State Street and Los Gallos, which closed its location on South Bridge Street, are among the more-recent casualties.
Selah Restaurant and Donavito’s Italian Grille, however, have managed to stay in business for the long haul.
Donavito’s, which opened 13 years ago at 139 S. Bridge St., specializes in seafood and pasta. Owner and chef Alan Donatelli said the restaurant stays in business by virtue of its strict commitment to consistency, quality and service.
“It takes a lot of hard work,” he said. “You have to live it, and I do.”
Selah, which is across the street from Donavito’s, opened at the historic Old Stone Tavern in Poland in 1998 and relocated to 130 S. Bridge eight years ago.
Brian Palumbo, co-owner, was drawn to the charm of housing the restaurant in an old bank building, but he had reservations about the sleepiness of the surrounding area.
“We were looking for atmosphere first and location second,” he said. “We were a little nervous when we first opened up because we were going to be a destination location – people were probably going to have to make a special trip to come to us.”
Palumbo said the restaurant draws traffic by following a few simple principles. First, Palumbo said, a restaurant must distinguish itself from its competition.
Selah supplements its regular dining options with an array of attractions, including outdoor music and the Struthers Farmers Market. Palumbo, who is president of the local theater company Top Hat, also hosts an event called Bella Cucina in which he sings, tells stories and serves a five-course meal. Tickets are $33 each. The next performance will take place Sept. 17.
The worst sin a restaurant can commit, he said, is being inflexible. “We’re taking feedback, and we’re tweaking daily,” he said. “This business is its own living, breathing animal.”
Unlike Selah, The Kitchen Post at 585 Youngstown-Poland Road is a newcomer. “We’re babies,” Linda Fowler, said, laughing. Linda is the mother and business partner of Ross Fowler, the restaurant’s owner and chef.
The Kitchen Post, which opened three months ago, specializes in tacos for $3.25 each and changes its menu nearly every day.
The Kitchen Post’s casual, Americana-inspired atmosphere differs from the more-formal feel of Selah, but the Fowlers echoed Palumbo’s emphasis on flexibility.
“It’s chaos,” Ross said. “You have to watch your numbers and know that a typically slow day could suddenly be busy or vice versa. There’s no room for stubbornness.”