Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert DelliQuadri.
Robert, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Meatball Mafia started as a food truck in 2016, though we had been working on the truck build and brand development for almost 3 years at that point. We won second place at the Columbus Food Truck Fest in 2017 and followed that up with a 1st place award in 2018. In June of 2020, we opened our first brick-and-mortar location inside the Center Street Market in Old Hilliard. This wasn’t perfect timing, but we worked hard and continued to build our presence locally.
After a successful year in 2021, I decided it was time to expand the business. We saw during 2020 with Covid and other wild swings in food costs and labor availability, I felt it was necessary to diversify. A space became available in Historic Dublin that would be great for a small neighborhood bar. We opened Missing Jimmy’s in September of 2022, featuring Meatball Mafia in the kitchen. We were recently named #4 new bar of 2022 in Columbus by Columbus Underground.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth ride. Food truck life is a rocky road. Hell, even getting the truck launched was a daily test of one’s will to persevere. After 4 years of trucking (and towing, and ordering new engines, and rainy days, etc), we launched the Hilliard location during a global pandemic and government regulations that didn’t allow customers to eat in the building. Again, we kept working.
Issues again arose when building out the Dublin location. Skilled labor shortages delayed progress considerably, and the inflationary environment consistently busted the estimates and stretched the budget to the limits.
There were many, many nights where I wondered if I had made a mistake.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Meatball Mafia?
We’re originally from Youngstown, Ohio, which is the most important part of our business. We specialize in nostalgia. We make great meatballs and pizza, but the nostalgia of home to other Youngstown transplants is what really sets us apart and gives us a real identity. This has become a talking point for what has been a very affective word-of-mouth marketing campaign. We’re extremely proud of where we came from, and so are our customers. We love hearing the stories and memories that are shared daily at both locations. I really feel like we bring home to people who just can’t make it home often anymore. It’s been a really emotional experience at times. The support, the almost loving reviews, and Youngstown memorabilia customers have brought to us have been more than inspiring. Many days they are the reason to get up and take another swing.
What do you think about luck?
I don’t know if I’m a big believer in luck, though we have surely had some things go our way. I think our success is more the result of persistence. As far as bad luck, I could say we’ve had our fair share, but instead, I view negative things as par for the course. Murphy’s Law, I suppose.
Contact Info:
- Website: Themeatballmafia.com
- Instagram: Instagram@meatballmafia
- Facebook: Facebook.com/meatballmafia
