Il Gradino offers customers a hospitable and unique experience by allowing them to choose the way their meal is prepared; the “piacere” approach puts a personal twist on traditional Italian dining.
Owner Diego Argudo opened Il Gradino at the end of May, building up its foundation during Covid. After a takeover of a Manhattan location of the Mediterranean restaurant Fig & Olive —a casualty of the pandemic— not much remodeling had to go into the kitchen. With the foot-traffic of the neighborhood and the need for an ambitious Italian restaurant, Argudo took the opportunity as his moment to step in.
Argudo’s approach to the dining room design was to create an old-school New York-Italian restaurant, featured a warm contemporary look. These features are what gives the atmosphere its welcoming feeling that attracts a crowd that Argudo thinks of as “a family, like friends, not like customers.” Building up this family was no easy feat though, Argudo devoted himself to the art of the business by surrounding himself with others in the restaurant world throughout his entire life.
Immigrating to the United States from Ecuador in 1992 at just 15 years old, he immediately went to work helping his father, who also worked in a restaurant. Argudo grew up in the industry working as a dishwasher, busser, and waiter in a variety of different eateries. All these different positions allowed him to discover the community that embodies restaurant staff members, and the diligence that is a necessity in the field. “All my life I had been working, always watching and learning, Argudo said. My dream was to one day have my own restaurant and make people happy.” When he hired Chef Carlos Inga and opened Il Gradino, he took the opportunity to seize that dream.
Inga had previously worked as a sous chef, and with Il Gradino was given the opportunity to step into the head-chef role. Together with Argudo, the pair had worked to develop the menu that remolds the typical customer experience. Il Gradino offers traditional Italian dishes such as chicken and fish, but with “piacere” options.
“Piacere” is Italian for “pleasure,” named so because it allows the customer to customize the dishes to their liking. Allowing guests to pick their preferences adds an individualized element to the environment. Argudo added that he always loved to take care of people, and this personalization was his way of showing it. “[This option] makes everybody happy, with no challenges for the customer. For an easy dining experience, we offer any menu option that a guest may desire.”
Challenges did emerge, however, from an operational standpoint. No POS system is set up to handle the meals when every order is different. The requests are hand-written and explained to the chefs in order to ensure that each guest’s meal is made according to their liking. When it is settled at the end, the price must be determined accordingly. The staff feels that the task is worth going through because of the pleasure that it brings the customers. Argudo always wanted “good food, good service, good quality,” within all his meals in his restaurant.
Aside from Chef Inga, finding staff was another challenge during the pandemic. Argudo reached out to staffing agencies that offered help specializing in Italian restaurants but had little luck. Finding help was an obstacle affecting most industries nearing the end of the Covid era. “We have to work hard to do the best,” Argudo said. That hard work paid off as the opening took place, and the restaurant is working to slowly build its reputation.
Looking ahead, Argudo hopes to continue the specialty in his meals, and gain new customers to grow his dining family. Il Gradino represents classic roots and perseverance with the advantage of custom tailoring orders, for a meal made just the way the customer sees fit.
Learn more about Il Gradino online at their website
