Umberto Gibin was born in Venice, Italy and began to learn the hospitality trade at several prestigious European restaurants and hotels. In 1979 he took his hospitality career to California where he got to work for a handful of leading restaurants in the Bay Area and LA. With this experience, he went on to serve as one of the founding team members of Il Fornaio, which he helped scale to six locations before departing to join the Kimpton Hotel group. Then in 2004 he re-joined mentor Larry Mindel to open Poggio. Today, Gibin deploys decades of top tier experience as owner-operator of Perbacco and Barbacco, both located in San Francisco, CA. Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra: "We are as good as the last dish we served." In today's episode with Umberto Gibin we will discuss: Consistency The European restaurant scene in the 1970s Early mentors The trip to the states Emotional intelligence and reading body language Old school v. new school kitchen behavior Eye for detail is key No position in your restaurant is more or less important than any other Authenticity The evolution of Italian food Getting "cold feet" before the decision to open a restaurant Knowing when you're ready Mistakes of organization Avoid a loose concept Enjoy your work and think positive The difference between a mentor and a boss Today's sponsor: BentoBox empowers restaurants to own their presence, profits and relationships. The hospitality platform disrupts third-party services that come between the restaurant and the guest. BentoBox puts the restaurant first and offers tools that drive high-margin revenue directly through the restaurant’s website. BentoBox is trusted and loved by over 5,000 restaurants worldwide including Union Square Hospitality Group, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Lilia and more. Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you’ll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/unstoppable.    Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Focus What is your biggest weakness? "I don't have one." What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?  "Someone who looks into my eyes when speaking to me and is willing to help guests." What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Lack of experienced personal Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Be in the moment What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Be in the moment What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Setting the Table by Danny Meyer GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough? Mentor the employees If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be? Believe in what you do Stay focused Value others Contact info: Email: Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post. Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Huge thanks to Umberto Gibin for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!   Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the