Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Garland.
Peter, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Porta Via, which means “to go” in Italian, began in 1993 as a casual cafe in a 600 square foot space on the 400 block of N. Canon Drive, which at the time was the quietest street in the Beverly Hills business district. The original idea was to serve the clients of the four celebrity hairstylists on the block. The concept of serving simply prepared food using the best of locally sourced ingredients took off. Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. we always thought of hospitality as our secret sauce.
While we have our fair share of celebrity customers, we treat all of our clients with equal respect. It has proven to be a successful formula that has helped us to expand twice into a full-service restaurant with a thriving neighborhood bar. We lobbied the city of Beverly Hills to allow sidewalk dining and today North Canon Drive is a thriving restaurant row.
We see ourselves as a neighborhood restaurant. We are honored to be one of a handful of restaurants to be invited by Rick Caruso (the Grove) to be part of his Palisades Village project in the Palisades.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Between rough spots in the economy and construction on the street, we have persisted through numerous challenges by providing great food in a welcoming atmosphere to our faithful clientele.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Porta Via story. Tell us more about the business.
I am most proud that we operate as a family business. My 16-year old son Liam has taken an active interest in the restaurant. My mother actively promotes us on social media! The “family” also includes numerous staff members who have been with us a decade or more. I know 95% of our customers by name and they are part of our family…
Though many restaurants have celebrity chefs, our success is built by a hard-working team dedicated to providing amazing food and great service to our family of customers.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has never been part of the equation. Hard work and persistence in every area of life through good times and bad are the keys to success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 424 N. Canon Drive Porta Via Palisades Village
1030 N. Swarthmore Ave. - Website: www.portaviabh.com
- Phone: 310-274-6534
- Email: peter@portaviabh.com
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
