Categories: Opinion

Ahead of Me Vá e Nonna Rosa, Marcelo Muniz will open two new houses soon

Ahead of Me Vá e Nonna Rosa, Marcelo Muniz will open two new houses soon

If one day you decide to have lunch in Spanish go me and, by chance, go to dinner at the Italian Nonna Rosa it is almost 100% chance to find in the salon Marcelo Muniz.

Sympathetic and always smiling, the young restaurateur has a unique ability to observe everything around him, as is rarely seen.

No wonder Muniz is behind – and ahead – of these two successes in São Paulo cuisine. And he might as well be satisfied, but it’s not in his DNA to stop. “When I see two businesses like this thriving, it bothers me to stop,” he says, with a twinkle in his eye.

It is for this reason that Muniz now opens, in mid-October, his third house, the eze. The address, at Alameda Tietê, in Jardins, will dedicate itself to Mediterranean recipes and, according to him, who is in the process of finalizing the menu, will have the same excellent value for money that the other two houses have under his management.

“It is necessary to look into costs, look for good suppliers, maintain efficient service and have standardization in the kitchen for a restaurant to succeed. There’s no magic formula, there’s nothing. It’s hard work every day, without a fail,” he comments.

Tireless, Marcelinho, as he is called, is divided between the Me Vá restaurant, in Pinheiros, and the Nonna Rosa, in Jardins, which together serve more than 10 thousand people per month and add up to 100 employees.

But he will have to find a space in his schedule to head the eze which starts with an investment of R$ 2.5 million.

“Èze is born from an old dream. Seafood was always something I wanted to work on, but I was restricted in terms of ingredients. Today we have good suppliers, who deliver good products at excellent costs. The time has come,” she adds.

an inspiring story

When he was just 13 years old, Marcelo Muniz started working to help his family and “be able to buy his things”, he says.

His first job was as a glass washer in a diner. And, who was born to be successful, soon shines, right? At 15, he became cumin (assistant) at the restaurant O Garimpo, in Embu das Artes.

And it was at 18 that he became head of the line and realized how customer contact was something he enjoyed.

“There I saw a chance to be closer to the customer. I gave suggestions and always did the impossible to be something more. I think the reason is that I wanted to be something more too,” she says.

“I got to the position of head of the line, which is the person who organizes the hall, organizes the square, schedules off work”, he recalls.

And between sending an e-mail there, a contact there, Marcelo arrived at Fasano group , to be cumin in Gero. And that’s when the key turned.

“There I saw, understood and learned the importance of customer contact. It wasn’t enough to just put the dishes on and off the table. It was a lot of pressure – I confess that I thought about giving up many times. But I knew that to be really good at something, I had to go through it. So I went to study, learn English, everything to elevate myself to another level”, she says.

After reaching the position of maître d’ in the Fasano group, Marcelo – and his innate restlessness – accepted the challenge to manage the Nino in Rodolfo de Santis . “It was an interesting process: Fasano already had the entire structure in place, and Nino was a new challenge. And I was looking at that to fill other gaps in my professional life,” he recalls.

In addition to his indisputable determination, the businessman also has his “angel”, whose name he does not reveal.

“I became very close to a regular Fasano customer. We became friends and shortly after I had boarded the Nino, he invited me to be a partner in a restaurant he had the idea of ​​opening. Thus was born Nonna Rosa,” he says.

Well done food, with exemplary presentation and excellent value for money mark the menu of the Italian restaurant. Currently, the house sells 300 plates of carbonara per month, which corresponds to 10% of sales.

A year and a half after the opening of Nonna Rosa, came the go me a trendy restaurant, with vibrant colors and a more authorial gastronomy oriented towards Spanish cuisine, now under the command of the chef Gustavo Prado.

There, the success is the duck rice: 25% of the house’s sales are from the dish. “It seems that my cycle is every year and a half to open a new house. It seems that the bell is ringing!”, he laughs.

If you think Marcelinho is going to stop, we’ve already given you some news here in advance: he has just closed a point in downtown São Paulo, next to the Hotel San Rafael, and there he will open the Nipot – meaning of grandson in italian.

Opening only for February 2023 , the bar will play live music, with lots of jazz, blues and special DJs on select nights. The idea is that it stays open until dawn, unlike its other restaurants.

The menu promises to maintain good values ​​on dishes with an Italian accent. Pasta will be served during the day and items to share, such as pizzetas, at night. “Center of São Paulo is unique! I couldn’t stop without having something there”, he concludes.

Will he stop now?

Nonna Rose: Rua Padre João Manuel, 950 – Jardins – São Paulo/SP / Tel.: (11) 2369-5542 / Opening hours: Monday to Wednesday, from 12 pm to 4 pm and from 7 pm to 11 pm; Thursday and Friday, from 12 pm to 4 pm and from 7 pm to midnight; Saturday, from 12:00 to 00:00; and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm.

go me: Rua Ferreira de Araújo, 285 – Pinheiros, São Paulo/SP / Tel.: (11) 3816-0588 / Opening hours: Monday to Tuesday, from 12 pm to 3 pm and from 6 pm to 11 pm; Wednesday, from 12:00 to 15:00 and from 18:30 to 00:00; Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 12:00 to 0:00; and Sunday, from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Source: CNN Brasil