Mici Handcrafted Italian, a family-owned, four-unit fast casual chain based out of Denver, Colorado, announced the appointment of Joe Melton, former Joint Venture Partner (Michigan and Ohio, 2016-2018; Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky, January 2018-July 2018), as Senior Vice President of Operations; along with metrics from CEO Elliot Schiffer’s first year on board and plans for the future.
CEO Elliot Schiffer says, “We are thrilled as a small brand to have a leader as capable and seasoned as Joe Melton on the Mici team. Joe’s passion for developing great teams catapulted him from server to market leader in his career at Outback Steakhouses. He has joined Mici to ensure that as we grow we only improve as a great place to eat and a great place to work.”
Joe Melton is an Industry Leader, with an impressive story of advancement and longevity within the Outback Steakhouse brand:
Starting as a server, he was moved up though the management ranks in Missouri/ Illinois area, and was promoted to Joint Venture Partner of Michigan and Ohio from 2016-2018, then again promoted to JVP of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky, 2018).
In 2004, he became the Managing Partner in St. Charles, MO. During his tenure in that role, Melton ran a top ranked restaurant nationally for two consecutive years and earned the title of Managing Partner of the Year three times.
Melton served on the Board of the Missouri Restaurant Association in 2015, and on the board of the St. Charles Chamber Of Commerce from 2005-2008. His photo can be downloaded here.
Says Melton, “I couldn’t be more excited to make the transition from such a large, established organization to such a fast-growing and exciting brand. I know that with skilled leadership in the area of Operations, Mici has the potential to grow to incredible heights.”
- In 2017, Mici completed a Series A financing and brought on Partner and CEO Elliot Schiffer.
- During the past year, Schiffer has streamlined operations and optimized the menu in anticipation of expanding to other areas of Colorado and beyond:
- Increased Loyalty membership to 12,000 subscribers (up 17%) through targeted digital marketing of Loyalty benefits
- Increased operational throughput: Mici now has the ability to handle 200 guests per hour at even their smallest locations
- Personalized Mici’s catering program, and have seen a 25% increase in catering sales
- Reduced the size of Mici’s menu by 15% to focus on quality and scalability
With Schiffer attached to the company, Mici was able to recruit industry veteran Krista Gibson to their newly installed Board of Directors.
Gibson is a Marketing & Strategy C-level Executive with over 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Most recently she was CMO for Chili’s Grill & Bar, where she led all aspects of sales growth, brand building, digital transformation and culinary innovation. Her photo and complete bio can be downloaded here.
Mici recently announced their highly anticipated fifth location in Lafayette, Colorado, which will serve dining guests in their new build-out and offer delivery to Lafayette as well as parts of Louisville and Erie, Colorado. With a focus on service and quality, Mici will be hiring and training 30 new team members for the Lafayette location. Mici Lafayette will open to the public in October of 2018.
Schiffer says of the expansion, “Lafayette is a great fifth location for Mici because it is a community that cares about the quality of their food made and that it is made with carefully sourced ingredients—and they are currently lacking in choices in the Italian space. We hope to provide the community with a place they can gather with friends and family, and share the Mici family’s traditional Italian food and hospitality.”
Ever with the eye on the prize, Schiffer is in the final stages of negotiations for location number six, in the southeast suburbs of Denver, and has plans to open 2-3 more locations in the next year as well as begin the process of franchising.
