Owner of Mandola’s Italian Kitchen Celebrates 50 Years Since Opening First Restaurant
Chef and restaurateur Damien Mandola celebrates half a century since opening his first Italian restaurant at just 21 years old
Amongst the loud chatter of families and the comforting smell of freshly-cooked pasta, Damien Mandola floats from table to table, cheerfully greeting his many customers at Mandola’s Italian Kitchen in Bee Cave. International sports team flags drift down from the rafters and old family photos decorate the walls of the charming restaurant, which feels reminiscent of a cozy, local joint in Little Italy.
On Saturday, June 14, he celebrated his 50th anniversary since buying his first restaurant at the age of 21. To honor the milestone, Mandola’s Italian Kitchen set prices to $2.75 per dish for the first 50 people who visited each of the franchise’s locations.
Fifty years ago, young Mandola was soon to graduate from Sam Houston State University, and his friend suggested he try out the restaurant business. He then found a restaurant space that had recently closed down, and which already had all the necessary equipment except for a pizza oven. With money borrowed from his parents, Mandola opened Damien’s Fine Italian Food in 1975 in Huntsville, Texas.
“I just fell in love with meeting the customers and my employees,” Mandola said, “and I love food.”
From family recipes to a national chain
That adds up, since he grew up eating his mother’s Italian cooking. Many of her recipes—including meatballs, eggplant parmigiana and meat sauce—went on to become Mandola’s staples. He claims that after all these years, his mother’s spaghetti and meatballs remain his favorite dish. When he opened his first restaurant, his mother utilized her expertise and cooked the first pot of sauce and meatballs ever served.
“She would go to put the cheese in a meatball, she would grab a handful and I’d say ‘Oh no, no, no, put it in a measuring cup,'” he said. “That’s how I learned (her recipes).”
After two years, Mandola and his business partners “got (their) chops” and opened a second restaurant, D’Amico’s, in Houston. After that venture rose and sank, he founded Damien’s Cucina Italiana in 1984. Then, inspired by the Italian cuisine of New York, he founded Carrabba’s with his nephew in 1986. Two years later, they opened another location, and five years later, their restaurant caught the attention of Outback Steakhouse, which acquired the franchise and expanded it to 240 locations nationwide.
“We just took it one at a time,” Mandola said. “Who would have known that the Outback Steakhouse guys would come to us?”
Food, family and fifty years strong
Not only did he find massive success at Carrabba’s, but he also found his current wife, Trina, who worked as a hostess there. She went on to play a significant role in the marketing and public relations of Mandola’s subsequent restaurants.
“She’s the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” he said.
Mandola and his wife later moved to Austin and opened the first Mandola’s location in 2006. Nearly twenty years later, Mandola’s has four locations in Texas and six in Florida. The restaurant has a harmonious fusion between Italian cuisine and Southern hospitality—something Mandola said is invaluable to him as a restaurateur.
“We know our customers’ names,” Mandola said. “You don’t get that at every chain restaurant.”
Inspired by his travels and experiences of the slower and more family-oriented Italian and Sicilian cultures, Mandola’s still hasn’t lost that authentic feeling. Down to the complimentary focaccia bread and olive oil brought out with every meal, Mandola cares about the little details, and, of course, good food.
RELATED: World-Renowned Chef April Bloomfield Joins MML Hospitality in Austin