We were lucky to catch up with Donata DeNicola-Barrett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Donata, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

I’m sure my story resonates with many people in the food industry, regardless where you are positioned in the food chain. I was out of the country and had just returned on March 15, 2020, when my children called to tell me to close our family business asap. Although I had been following the news and covid related articles, this was a new phenomenon for me. I had never closed for more than a snow day in the last 42 years. What could they possibly know that I didn’t. I chose to stay open until then gov Kate Brown ? shut us down on March 17 only to be told we could still have take out and delivery on March 18. My head was spinning. What would this new business model look like, and how could I make it profitable, keep my many employees known to me as my pack. There are many responsibilities that come with owning your own business and the most important is keeping yourself and staff safe. Some were uncomfortable with working due to family members that were at risk. After much thought, we remained open for the new mandates and because delivery was already part of my business, we hit the ground running and haven’t looked back since. Amazing grace is what we had been given. The right price point, location, and years of take out had put us in an amazing position and we didn’t Miss a beat. Grateful. Thank you Portland.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

DeNicolas was opened in 1978 and has remained part of the Portland dining culture for the last 45 years. My parents immigrated from Italy in their twenties and brought with them the recipes that they were raised with in their mother country. They were poor, didn’t speak the language, and had nothing but the hardest work ethic I had ever seen. They slept in the business for two years , because they needed to devote every hour to making their dream a reality. I was front of the house and continued in that position until this year. Now I am strictly admin and marketing. DeNicolas not only stands out for its longevity but also because we continue to be the lone standout for basic Italian fare reminiscent of the old neighborhood joints on the east coast. Our niche is that we are old school Italian. Large portions, great flavor, and the ease of letting the food speak for itself. Red checkered tablecloths, Frank Sinatra playing in the background, and an ambiance consistent With Italian dining. A true gem to the neighborhood.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My parents passed away four months apart and that started the passing of the torch to my generation, mainly my husband and myself. After the housing debacle of 2008, our business was barely hanging on, as the economy was very unstable. In 2010 I had a hip replacement in April followed by a total knee replacement in July. My husband was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in October and passed eight weeks later. My world was shattered and my grounding was taken out from under me. I was broken, however not defeated. I took the next few years and changed everything. There was a new set of eyes running the business who never thought she could. In the meanwhile, Portland itself was taking off. New economics in the southeast portion of the city breathed new life into DeNicolas and we were well on our way.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I wrote this down. Will not do again but will share w you the story of a lifetime. It went viral. Google pizza for house Portland Oregon.

Contact Info:

• Website: denicolasitaliandining.com