MONTEREY, Calif. -- Chef John Pisto--one of the most recognized men on the central coast thinks to 12 daily showings of his "Monterey's Cookin'" cable program and his Squid Kids seminars--is adding a fourth restaurant to his local collection.
Entree prices range from $17 to $22. The restaurant, which is located at 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue, plans to add as many as another 90 seats outdoors when the weather improves.At the Whaling Station, Pisto said, he was among the first Monterey Bay Area operators to use oak-fired "barbecues" for seafood. "Most of the other guys were using [gas] charbroilers." He said he also gained a following for heavily promoting then-underutilized Monterey Bay prawns and for featuring a wine list made up exclusively of California labels at a time when many other restauranteurs would serve nothing but imported products.One company source, who asked not to be identified, said that newly tapped Carl Karcher Enterprises chief executive, Donald Doyle, was at one point the top candidate for Shakey's but landed at the Anaheim, Calif.-based hamburger chain instead.Martini's is a partnership between Dennis Riese and Krause and is not affiliated with the Riese Organization -- the powerhouse, multiconcept franchisee in Manhattan.* Awash in white line, with a wall of glass that permits guests to look out on boat slips and whatever water creatures and birds happen to swim or glide by, Domenico's on the Wharf specializes in fresh lobster and crab dishes, fresh pasta, fish cooked over a wood-fired grill and tableside preparations of Caesar salads and desserts. including Bananas Foster. The average ticket is $15 at lunch and $35 at dinner.Said John Dean, a Texas Shakey's franchisee, "He is the type of guy that is going to get down and work in the stores."* The 23-year-old Whaling Station Inn Restaurant sports a historical maritime theme and features a menu that mixes classis, such as sauteed abalone with beurre blanc and creme brulee, and more contemporary fare, including balsamic vinaigrette-marinated, mesquite-grilled quail on vegetable nest. It's open for dinner only; the average ticket is $35.Despite not being formally hitched to the top post yet, Miller helped to orchestrate negotiations between the feuding parties. And while he told NRN he was now working in a "consulting" capacity, he was expected to finalize his contract with Shakey's parent company last week.In all, Pisto's restaurants bring in "just under $10 million" annually, he said. Each is unique in character:But some franchisees are optimistic that Miller will indeed create a plan to help rejuvenate the 200-unit chain that once boasted 500 restaurants.The restaurant, formerly a pub, features a towering stone pizza oven that soars over the dining room and an exhibition kitchen.Pisto, who owns the Whaling Station Inn Restaurant and is the general partner in Domenico's on the Wharf and Abalonetti Seafood Trattoria, recently acquired rights to the bankrupt Mermaid Bistro on Monterey's famed Cannery Row. He said plans call for transforming the space into a 180-seat waterfront bakery-restaurant to show-case the talents of chef Kurt Grasing, formerly of 231 Elsworth, a respected fine-dining restaurant in San Mateo, Calif.Operators have been without a formal president since the death of Gene Stone, who was hired by Inno-Pacific in 1989 after the holdings company acquired the then-under-capitalized chain in 1988. In the 1960s Stone had worked for Shakey's, moving his way up from dishwasher to vice president of operations for the chain.Nine years later he bought Abalonetti across the wharf from Domenico's and updated the decor and its menu. Management is a family affair with John and his wife Cheryl's children, Dana Pisto and Kim Rodriquez, overseeing the operation.The Whaling Station Inn "took off like gangbusters" after Pisto came up with the "hook" he said he was sure he needed to generate good word of mouth. Drawing on a tasty regional resource, he began serving a complimentary steamed and chilled artichoke with a vinaigrette-spiced mayonnaise for dipping to tide over hungry guests while they read the menu and waited for their bread and beverages.Before his stint at Peter Piper, Miller was regional vice president, Northwest, for Burger King. He had been with the burger giant for 12 years.At the heart of the matter is trying to get the Inno-Pacific to reimburse the franchisees with marketing dollars for two years. While operators have continued to pay into their National Advertising Fund, they said they have seen little in return.It won't be uncommon for patrons of his latest project to "have sea otters playing under their noses," Pisto quipped.Though design details are still being worked out with the architect, the chef-restaurateur said stone, wood and carpeting would be part of the new "lightter, brighter" decor. Regardless of the interior trim, he said, the new, as-of-yet unnamed restaurant will offer the same "panoramic view of Monterey Bay" that has been a hallmark of the site for decades.George Miller, who has already begun acting in the capacity of Shakey's president, recently left the 100-unit, Tucson-based Peter Piper chain, which came under new ownership last November after being acquired by The Venture West Group Inc.Since the fall of 1991, Shakey's Pizza franchisees said they listened to promises by its Singapore-based parent company, Inno-Pacific Holdings, that it would hire a new president. But late last year franchisees said "no more" and filed suit against Inno-Pacific, citing the company for breach of contract for failing to provide services as part of its existing franchise contract. As part of their complaint, franchisees demanded that the company hire a new president.
Nine years later he bought Abalonetti across the wharf from Domenico's and updated the decor and its menu. Management is a family affair with John and his wife Cheryl's children, Dana Pisto and Kim Rodriquez, overseeing the operation.
Author: Alan Liddle
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