Meet Tommy Fello of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Fello.

Hi Tommy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Tommys started in 1972 as a drugstore with a 7 seat soda fountain that I took over and gradually kept removing the medicines and school supplies and added more and more tables when we lost our lease in 1977 we moved down the street and grew to a75 seat restaurant. In 1988 there was a fire and we expanded into a larger space with 125 seats
We have had the same basic menu since 1972 with a majority of our sales being vegetarian items but we do offer everything on our menu.
We tried to provide something on our menu for everybody so that families can come out together and if you were a meat eater, you had something and if you were a vegetarian, you had something to try and keep families coming out together.
When I first started with the seven seat soda fountain, I was basically a one-man show, and I had to take the orders. Make the food wash the dishes, and take the cash. I found that a lot of people ordered the same things over and over again so to make it easier on myself I asked them what they wanted to call it or what their initials were or whatever and that became the name of the sandwich pretty much all of those sandwiches are still on our menu today.
We were always pretty well known for our milkshakes and today we still make them the same way I did when I was 16 years old, high-quality dairy and ice cream. The only thing different now is that we offer rice dream, Tofutti, and oat milk, milkshake options for vegans and lactose, intolerant customers and soy intolerant customers
In the 80’s and 90’s when more meat alternatives became available.( seitan ,tempeh)A few new items were added to our menu,

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely was not anything close to a smooth road. I had no formal training other than what my mom had showed me as far as cooking. Luckily I started very small and was able to learn from my mistakes along the way.
My menu was very unique and different and in the 70s vegetarianism was just becoming popular and a lot of the Italian and Middle Eastern food that I was serving was vegetarian. I Found a niche with very little competition and in a great location .
When Covid came, it was a very very difficult time.In Ohio we were forced to close for over a month and when we opened, it was very difficult to retain staff because everyone was leery to come back to work. Fortunate for me once again, our unique menu and loyal customers enabled us to remain in business, but that was some very challenging times .

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Since I was 14, I worked as a soda jerk all through high school. When I graduated high school I decided that I would like to purchase the drugstore/soda fountain that I had worked at for 4 years.
I was lucky enough at a young age to learn that I loved the interaction with people making them happy with what I was serving them .
I had found happiness in an industry that is very demanding at times, but can be very rewarding as well

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I recommend that anyone going into the restaurant industry. Make sure that they work in it for a while to see if it’s something that they’re passionate about.
I was fortunate that I started out very small and grew organically making tons of mistakes along the way and learning from them.
This business is very demanding physically, mentally and financially.
Finding the correct location and neighborhood is very important. Also remember to always give back to your community and they will reward you with years of support.

Pricing:

• Provide the highest quality at the most reasonable prices

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tommyscoventry.com