Angelo Di Piazza, 47, grew up learning the restaurant business in the shadow of his siblings.
And though he broke away from the pack to make a name for himself, he says the real recipe for success is his strong family roots and name.
“We were brought up in an Italian kitchen with our own family recipes,” said Di Piazza.
After the opening of his first Vigneto’s Italian Grill restaurant in 2001, Di Piazza is moving forward with a second restaurant and a business plan for growth. But he’s making sure the family ties are embedded in the plan.
When Di Piazza was a boy, his parents and family emigrated from Italy to the United States, settling in Brooklyn where his older brothers and sisters got jobs working in restaurants. The family moved to Miami and in 1976 opened their own establishment, Di Piazza’s, an Italian restaurant in Hialeah.
After learning the restaurant business from his siblings, Di Piazza and one of his nephews, Frank Castiglione, 32, partnered with Di Piazza’s wife, Janine, and her father in the 1995 opening of The Roasted Pepper restaurant in Pembroke Pines.
A few years later Di Piazza and Castiglione ventured out again. This time, Castiglione’s mother — Virginia Di Piazza, one of Angelo’s sisters — joined them. And her two other sons partnered with the group to complete the team. They put their own financial resources together and formed a holding company, The Grapevine Inc. and opened the Vigneto’s in Sunrise.
Opening their own restaurant seemed easy at first. But there were surprises. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, put a damper on the October opening. In addition, they said they were worried about other restaurants and eateries slated to open all over the Weston, Davie and Sunrise area. And they hadn’t advertised.
But Di Piazza was confident the site would work. For starters, it was the former location of a successful restaurant. The family also had previous experience in restaurant openings. They had lots of cross-training from cooking to managing to serving. And they had one more thing — successful family recipes.
With a moderately priced menu and an emphasis on seafood, Vigneto’s has developed a loyal clientele.
On a recent Tuesday night, the Friedmans of Weston and their guests traveled through heavy rains to reach the restaurant. “We come out here as often as possible,” said Betty Friedman.
With the Sunrise restaurant running smoothly, the family felt the natural progression was to open a second Vigneto’s, in Plantation.
As Frank Castiglione and his Uncle Angelo took a break from restaurant opening preparations, Castiglione spoke about what makes a successful business.
He spoke about the ratio of expenses to revenues. He discussed the balancing act with rent, utilities and food and beverage costs, inventory control and payroll. Having an understanding of all of these issues, he said, contributed to a smoother opening this time around.
At some point, the family would like to offer franchising opportunities. For now though, Di Piazza considers his business plan a success, because his family is working together.
Cindy Kent can be reached at or 954-356-4662.
THE GRAPEVINE INC.
Services: Two Italian restaurants, one in Sunrise and the other in Plantation
Owners: Angelo Di Piazza, his sister Virginia Di Piazza and her sons: Michael, Frank and Joe Castiglione
Established: 2001
Employees: 30-35 (both locations)
Revenues: More than $2 million
Advice: “Owning a restaurant is a lifestyle,” Angelo Di Piazza said. “It’s a very stressful business. If you have family behind you, you have a better chance of surviving.”
