Today we’d like to introduce you to Chipper Pastron.
Chipper, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started my first restaurant job at a sandwich shop near UCLA at age 13, and by 17, I was managing a kitchen staff of over 70 employees at Gladstone’s 4 Fish in Malibu. My partner, Sal Casola Sr., and I started MCC Hospitality Group in 1987, with the opening of Rose City Diner in the formative years of “Old Town Pasadena.” We enjoyed wild success with this concept that led us to open our second location on the same block, Market City Caffe in 1988. We continued opening and operating several locations of Market City Caffe in Burbank, Thousand Oaks, the Beverly Center, and The Las Vegas Strip.
Market City Caffe in Burbank is now celebrating over 25 years of serving the Burbank community, and I credit our success to our continuous commitment to providing the highest quality food in a friendly neighborhood atmosphere. While our menu evolves as tastes change, our top selling dishes are identical today as they were on opening day. What we were doing with Italian food 25 years ago was cutting edge at that time, but we’ve changed with the modern palate while still being true to our concept.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s never a smooth road, the challenges are constant and never-ending. The last five years have been dominated by the recession so we had to work with our guests by addressing menu pricing and offers creating menus and specials that supported these challenges and were viable for our business.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Market City Caffe – what should we know?
Hands down, we are most proud of all the jobs we have been able to create within our community and the relationships we’ve built. At Market City Caffe Burbank, we’ve employed more than 5,000 people, for many of whom this was their first job ever and used it as a launchpad for experience into the working world. Now we see them come back as adults, with their own children and careers. When I think about Market City Caffe succeeding for 25 years, knowing that there are countless people that have grown up eating our food, from young kids to adults, that makes us very proud.
What sets us apart from others is our passion for culinary and service. It sounds cliche, but we have an unrivaled work ethic and a true passion for food & beverage and hospitality. As owners/operators, we spend a lot of time in this restaurant with our corporate offices just over the freeway. It’s not common to see restaurant owners with such a hands-on presence.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
It has been a true collaboration since the beginning with my partner Sal Sr., and his son Sal Jr since 1995. In the past 30 years of our partnership, we’ve developed, owned, and operated more than 70 restaurants and concepts across three different states. It takes a great amount of trust and confidence in each other to continue providing exceptional experiences. Our staff throughout the years have simply been phenomenal – we’re proud that we have employees still working for us who have continued with the company since opening day 25 years ago and their dedication has played a massive role in the success of our business.
Contact Info:
- Address: 164 E Palm Ave
Burbank, CA 91502 - Website: http://www.marketcityburbank.com/
- Phone: 818.840.7036
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MarketCityCaffe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarketCityCaffeCA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarketCityCaffe
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/market-city-caffe-burbank
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