Gino’s Family Restaurant, a favourite eatery among Sault diners for decades, has been sold to new owner Eric McLean.
Brothers Rick and Gino Coccimiglio purchased the restaurant from their mother Maria, who started the business in 1985 with her husband Geniale (now deceased) in 2016.
Now, Gino told SooToday, it’s time for he and brother Rick to retire and hand the keys over to another entrepreneur.
“I’m going to retire and do some of the things I’ve always wanted to do. I’m going to do some big game hunting in Alaska for a bit, then down to Florida, all those good things.”
Brother Rick, Gino said, will be joining him in his adventures.
Mother Maria was fine with the decision her sons have made, Gino said.
New owner McLean is also owner of the Qboba Mexican Eats franchisee.
McLean, apart from planning to cook house-made pizzas in a new wood-fired oven using traditional cooking methods, intends to carry out renovations to the interior and exterior of the Gino’s Family Restaurant property, including a brand new covered patio (protecting customers from the elements).
McLean will slightly modify the name of the restaurant to Gino’s Fired Up Kitchen while retaining the recipes and offering the same popular dishes Gino’s Family Restaurant has served over the years.
Gino and Rick’s last official day will be Feb 14.
“I’m going to be in there for 12 weeks (afterward) training him and I’m going to pass on all our family recipes and secrets on to Eric, and with his young blood, he can hopefully carry it on for the next 30 years,” Gino said.
“It’s great. We have a great relationship. We've befriended each other over this. He wants to keep what we started and bring it to the next level with the decor and the patio,” said Gino of McLean’s plans.
“That restaurant has been great for our family all these years. We’ve met a lot of great people, a lot of great staff.”
“All our staff are staying on (under new ownership),” Gino added.
“Gino’s has amazing food,” McLean said.
“I’m a regular. Their chicken parmigiana is amazing, their veal is amazing.”
“I’ll start training with Gino on all the recipes and how he does everything beginning February 15th. Apart from the wood-fired pizza it’s going to be the same recipes, steak, fish and other favourites, the same great prices, the same great service that everyone’s come to love.”
“The one big element we’re really excited about bringing to Sault Ste. Marie and to that restaurant is the wood-fired pizza,” McLean said.
“The wood-fired pizza oven looks beautiful and big and when you see it, you see people cooking and stretching dough, that alone is going to add to the atmosphere.”
McLean said he hopes to begin construction of the patio in the spring with other renovations to follow.
“We’re going to try not to close down during the renovations. Hopefully we can section off a piece of the restaurant at a time and work on it while we’re seating customers. By mid to late summer we should have the whole package.”
“We heard there might be an opportunity to purchase the restaurant so I just called them and that’s how it started,” McLean said of the restaurant purchase.
Under McLean’s ownership, the restaurant will have modernized online ordering platforms to give guests the flexibility they need to order their favourite meals, implementing a complete delivery program.
“I love the hospitality industry and am so eager to roll up my sleeves,” McLean said.
The restaurant is in good hands, Gino Coccimiglio emphasized.
“He (McLean) comes from this hospitality industry. He knows what it takes. He grinds. He’s a hard worker. I know that he’ll do well there.”
