As the longtime editor of La Trattoria, I especially enjoyed reading Dino’s columns he wrote between 1990 and 2013. He was a natural storyteller with a gift for simplifying business concepts and strategies. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from La Trattoria. Enjoy!
– Steve Rouse

A loyal customer is one who values your offerings enough to buy them at a price which allows you to be profitable.

Hunt where the ducks are.

What gets measured gets done.

People perform better when they understand why their job is important.

Something not worth doing isn’t worth doing well!

The customer’s time is worth more than ours.

The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions!

You can’t be all things to all people. You can’t make good wine from bad grapes.

Customers are attracted to a restaurant experience that makes their day a little brighter.

Hire for traits, train for skills.

Never settle for “good enough.”

Reward outrageous efforts toward superior service.

Your business is an extension of your values, your personality, and your good name. As such, it is an enduring legacy you can pass on.

I hope that you enjoy many warm connections with your own customers, because “Man doth not live by bread alone.” Ciao!