HOLMDEL — Though he didn’t grow up in the restaurant business, Brooklyn and Staten Island native Frank Brusco knew a thing or two about top-quality food and the importance of great service.

And he combined those skills into his 2015 launch of Patricia’s of Holmdel, a classic Italian restaurant that he bought on the spot from the former owner after having a less-than-satisfying experience there.

“Both of my parents were born in Italy, and as a kid, I was always around food and fresh produce,” said Brusco, 49, a Holmdel resident. “My family grew tomatoes, string beans, lettuce, peaches, eggplant, squash, zucchini flowers and more right in our backyard and eating was always a treat.”

While studying business management at St. John’s University in Staten Island, “I worked for a family-owned commercial printing business in Manhattan and got a lot of experience dining with customers in New York City,” Brusco said.

After graduating and becoming a salesman for the company (which eventually moved from New York City to North Jersey), “I spent a lot of time entertaining customers in restaurants and saw how restaurants worked and the things my customers complained about, such as poor service, loudness and lack of cleanliness.”

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Offered 'a check on the spot'

Brusco was ultimately able to bring all that restaurant experience to a new opportunity that presented itself — one which might never have happened had it not been for a subpar dining experience he and his two children had in July 2015.

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“I was a soccer coach in Holmdel and my kids were hungry after practice one day, so I called the local pizzeria with our order and told them we’d be there in 20 minutes,” Brusco explained. “They took the order and I assumed they’d manage it so that the food would be on the table when we got there, but two weeks in a row, we arrived at the restaurant and had to wait another 20 minutes even though there were no other customers there.

"I asked the owner what was going on and he said that there were only two people in the kitchen, so I started asking him some other questions," he continued. "It turned out that he was a full-time contractor who came to the restaurant at night and was interested in moving on from the business after 13 years.

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“The restaurant was everything I hated — low ceilings, old carpeting and furniture, unattractive uniforms, no music and bad paint — but he asked me if I’d like to buy it,” Brusco recalled. “Since I understood the multiple in the restaurant business, I looked at how much furniture was in the place, saw how impressive the kitchen was, and offered him a check on the spot,” he said. “He jumped up, shook my hand and we sealed the deal.”

Over a two-month renovation process, “I gutted the space, raised the ceiling and added soundproofing, installed beautiful chandeliers, replaced the carpet with an attractive slip-free tile floor, repainted the interior and dressed up the tables with white tablecloths,” Brusco said.

He named the restaurant Patricia’s after one of his great-grandmothers — “the name conveyed a sense of ancestry and homecooking,” he explained — and opened in October 2015.

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Nearly eight years later, and thanks to culinary support from Chef Lenny Di Maria, “we specialize in classic and southern Italian cuisine,” Brusco said. “Some of our signature dishes include our eggplant stack appetizer ($16) and entrées like our Pappardelle Bolognese, double-cut pork chop, and short rib served over risotto. I have a sweet tooth and two of my favorite desserts on the menu are our seven-layer rainbow cake and affogato served with hazelnut or vanilla ice cream with an espresso shot poured over it.”

Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, “Patricia’s has a steady, year-round clientele that hails from Monmouth County, Ocean County and Staten Island up through Westfield and North Jersey,” he said.

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Building a restaurant empire

Run by a team of roughly 70 full and part-time staffers, the restaurant has grown over the years.

“We can seat 140 in our main room, but in 2018 we expanded and added a 1,200-square-foot, 70-seat garden room with a beautiful skylight and nano doors that offer full access to the outdoors,” Brusco said of space they use for large parties and special events. “A month ago, we expanded again with the addition of our new ‘market’ area, which seats 35 to 40 people and where we sell coffee, pastries, logoed T-shirts and other merchandise.”

As for trends, healthier eating may be popular today, “but people love food and aren’t afraid to spend money on something they want,” said Brusco, who noted that Patricia’s seafood specials are especially popular. “We’re all about comfort food and customers enjoy our big portions and the great dining and social experience we deliver.”

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While staffing issues and rising food and labor costs remain challenges in the competitive restaurant industry, they haven’t stopped Brusco from opening several other popular restaurants throughout the Shore area, including Gabriella’s Italian Steakhouse in Middletown.

Named after a former employee at Patricia’s who became his business partner at the steakhouse, “we opened Gabriella’s on July 4th, 2019,” Brusco said. “Following the success we had with Patricia’s, I felt that I could handle a larger stage with a different cuisine and a liquor license, and it’s been super popular and busy ever since. We can seat 140 in the main dining room and 70 in our enclosed patio, and three weeks ago we expanded with a beautiful new 50-seat speakeasy and bar area, which will be a gamechanger for that restaurant.”

Along with Demetri and Kosta Rexinis, Brusco also co-owns Over Easy Kitchen, a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot with locations in Holmdel, Marlboro and Fair Haven, and is in the process of building an 8,000-square-foot new supper club in Old Bridge that will open by the end of 2023 and seat over 200 people.

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'Where my friends and family hang out'

Though he’s kept a hand in the printing business, Brusco relishes life these days as a full-time restaurateur.

“I typically start my day meeting customers and checking in with staff at each of the Over Easy locations, then shoot over to Patricia’s and meet and greet everyone until the last customer sits down to eat, and finally head to Gabriella’s six miles away and stay there until it closes at 1 a.m.,” Brusco said. “I don’t consider it work because I truly enjoy what I do, and these places are where my friends and family hang out.”

“I have a wonderful staff who make our customers feel welcome and at home,” he said of the vibe he promotes at all of his eateries — and the strong friendships he’s forged as the owner.

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“We serve 20,000 people a month between Patricia’s and Gabriella’s and I’ve gone to my customers’ weddings and on vacation with them,” he said. “Customers can go anywhere to eat, so we go out of our way to establish a relationship and ensure that they’ll have a great dining experience with us.”

Regarding his favorite parts of the job, “I love seeing customers smile and knowing them by name, or when little kids want to come because one of our places is their favorite restaurant,” said Brusco, who enjoys helping people make special memories. “It’s a great feeling to see customers celebrating the stages of their lives at your restaurant and to enable those happy moments and occasions.”

Patricia’s of Holmdel

Location: 2132 Route 35, Holmdel

Phone: 732-275-0234

Owner: Frank Brusco

Opened: 2015

Website: www.patriciasofholmdel.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Patricia's of Holmdel started Monmouth County NJ restaurant empire