Images via Cafe Settebello
Cafe Settebello owners, Rami and Lisa look to extend the success of their restaurant by giving Verona Cafe Ristorante a full-on revamp effective immediately.
The Golden Grove restaurant had been struggling to get clientele and was experiencing some poor Google reviews. New owner Rami says, “Verona had started to go downhill and we came in to rescue it, I suppose you could say.”
“We were in a position to help by taking over and making it our own while keeping people employed,” he said. Verona Cafe Ristorante is set to get a new life as a shining light in the Golden Grove dining community.
Cafe Settebello is known for its iconic cheese wheel dish, made atop of a huge parmesan cheese wheel as it melts throughout the pasta. The restaurant has been met with a lot of positivity from Campbelltown locals since Rami and Lisa became owners.
The brand new Verona Cafe Ristorante will see some dearly welcomed changes with the hope that the restaurant will be totally refreshed. Major changes will include a revamp of flooring, tables and chairs, and amenities, as well as a brand new menu full of delicious Italian cuisine.
The new owners are sticking with the Verona name. Rami says he wants the restaurant to shine on its own rather than inheriting the Settebello name. He stands by his menu, though, bringing a relatively unchanged version of Settebello’s menu over to Verona. The menu features succulent Caesar salads, focaccia and wraps. The restaurant also offers a generous range of authentic Italian pastas and pizzas and European-style grilled and seafood mains.
“We’re keeping the parmesan cheese wheel for Settebello,” Rami says. “It’s tied in with the restaurant when it used to be on Pulteney St. That’s Settebello’s identity and I want Verona to have its own identity.” He hints at Verona having its own special flair.
A brand new wine list and menu are key pieces that will make Verona a classy dining destination for the area. Expect a fresh new atmosphere with the space getting a face-lift too. “We want to give it a revamp. The shop’s fit out is really nice, but we’re getting people in to fix up the floor and we’re totally cleaning up the place,” Rami says.
The new owners want to bring Verona back to a family style restaurant. They’re aiming to reflect where Settebello is as a restaurant currently.
“It’s going to be hard work,” Rami says. He recognises that there is still a lot to do, but the people are what drives him and his wife, Lisa. “Walking in and seeing the people who are involved almost brings a tear to my eye,” he says.
Rami says, “we closed on Sunday night, and we were here till 4:30 in the morning on Monday. We had all the service providers who you don’t want coming in during service, come in out of hours. We had plumbing, toilets, all the things that are going to make your experience here a good one.”
“The floors and tables were probably the biggest things. They’ve sustained a bit of damage. So we’re in the process of organising brand new tables and chairs, and fully repairing the flooring,” says Rami.
The restaurant has stayed fully open, currently running the old menu before it gets updated very soon. Rami says, “I’ve got a whole heap of staff that still want to get paid. We can’t just take over the restaurant and say ‘hey guys see you later we’re going to close for a week or two.’ I just couldn’t do it. They’re young kids. They’re uni students.”
“It’s going to be a lot of work to get this place up to where we want it to be. We came in on Sunday, got the keys, Monday morning we cleaned the place out,” he said.
“As long as the staff are getting paid and the doors are open, then that’s what we’re trying to do at the same time as getting it up and running,” says Rami. “These guys are the face of the business. If you’re not acknowledging them and looking after them, then who are you going to look after?”
The restaurant is still up and running and you can expect a brand-new, revamped experienced very soon!
Verona Cafe Ristorante
Where: 1040 The Golden Way, Golden Grove SA 5125
When: Open 7 days 8 am–9 pm
For more information and updates about the revamp, visit Cafe Settebello’s Facebook.
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