Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler McCleary. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Tano Bistro started as a catering company out of Tano’s home kitchen in Loveland. He had worked in the hospitality industry for decades prior and decided it was time to give it a shot on his own. It quickly took off, and before long, it was clear that a brick-and-mortar building was needed, so he opened in downtown Loveland as a small Bistro in 2009. As things started to get going and foot traffic in downtown Loveland increased over the early years, the Bistro was able to grow and expand into a full restaurant and bar. Things were moving right along; we had opened a second concept and were looking to expand even more when, unfortunately, the building caught fire over Memorial Day weekend in 2017. At this point, the Williams had a decision to make. They could either call it quits then and walk away or forge ahead, rebuild and continue with their plans to open a second Bistro in the growing downtown of Hamilton, Ohio. They went with the second option and built their second version of Tano Loveland to be three levels, including a rooftop bar, to show that we were excited to be back and better than ever. Shortly after the reopening of Loveland, we turned our sights to the second Bistro, which opened in August of 2019 with a huge warm welcome from the community.
I am currently the Director of Operations for Tano Hospitality Group. I was living in Omaha, Nebraska when a great friend of mine asked me to come back home to help with the reopening of the Loveland Bistro after the fire and then come out to Hamilton as the General Manager. Opening both within a year was definitely a challenge but an extremely fun and rewarding one. Especially when it came to Hamilton. Our team, the community, and overall energy of the city was absolutely electric and unlike anything I had experienced before. We were so well received immediately, and everything went off without a hitch in the early going.
Then COVID hit. We all know how crazy that was, and as a newly opened restaurant, there was definitely a lot of worry. I had just moved into the Marcum apartments above the Bistro with my now wife, and after all of the staff had to go, it was just the two of us for a long trying to do what we could to keep things moving. My wife is also Tano’s daughter, so our family’s restaurant was on the line, and we felt we had to do everything possible to keep this great thing going. In the craziest of times, we were able to see the entire community come together and not only keep us afloat but every other restaurant in Hamilton as well (This is when and why HAHA was created too. The Hamilton Amusement and Hospitality Association with the premise of “a rising tide lifts all boats.”). My wife and I already liked Hamilton enough to move here, but after experiencing the sense of community and all of the great forward momentum, we decided to buy a home in Lindenwold, where we currently live with our 2-year-old twins. We have gotten very involved with the great community around us and just feel fortunate to be a part of something so unique and wonderful.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The other piece would be staffing. Both with the opening of two restaurants and then the aftermath of COVID. It was pretty rough in 2021 especially to find anyone in our field, let alone anyone with experience. It took some time, but we were fortunate enough to attract and retain some really great people on our teams. In Hamilton, we were able to be a part of a pretty unique and outside-of-the-box project that led to the creation of the hiring portal where applicants could apply to all of the restaurants in the area at once. We saw great returns from this.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As Director of Operations, my role is essentially to ensure that all of the different teams within our company have what they need to provide an exceptional dining experience to every single guest that walks through our doors. I would say that I specialize in being able to build teams that focus on coming up with solutions to a wide array of ever-changing obstacles and doing so with a smile. As far as what I think myself and the Bistro as a whole are known for, I’d say that it’s that we’re interested in going well beyond the plate or glass to make an impact in the community around us. To open a restaurant of our caliber, there is a lot that you have to be able to do before you even open your doors. But I believe what sets us apart is that we’re interested in doing a whole lot more than just growing our revenue. We want to be in step with as many great local causes as we possibly can and push ourselves to positively impact as many people as possible. With that, the more we grow, the more we can impact, and that is a driving force for me. This is also what I’m most proud of. What I enjoy most is when we can go outside of the normal day-to-day and really do something special. Whether that’s feeding families during the holidays, educating youth on opportunities & futures in the hospitality industry, or just making someone’s special occasion absolutely unforgettable, those are the best parts of what we do.
How do you think about luck?
I would say a ton, for sure. The weather alone can make or break a day or week sometimes, and in Ohio, we all know that is a complete guessing game more often than not. We plan a ton and are really good at executing, but there have definitely been some bad breaks at times. We’re also fortunate enough to have great people around us, so more often than not, good people overcome any bad luck. Then we get our lucky streaks, too. But for me personally, the luckiest part of all of this is that I met my wife through this business and, therefore, am the luckiest guy around.
Pricing:
- Typical lunch spend per person – $15
- Typical dinner spend per person – $32
- We do offer great quality, affordable catering
- Italian Night – Every Monday – $8
- Happy Hour Monday Through Friday 4- 6
Contact Info:
- Website: foodbytano.com
