Meet Matt Ruppert of Noni’s

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Ruppert.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I had been working in restaurants as a server and bartender for over a decade and really enjoyed it. But my last job as a server ended poorly; I was fired by a manager whom I did not respect after four years of loyal service. I decided I could never work for anyone else again, so the next day I started composing a business plan for my own place. Noni’s is named after my little old Sicilian granny who always enjoyed food, drinks, and company to share it with. Thus, the restaurant is one big homage to her life, her joy of cooking and entertaining, her kooky sense of style and sense of humor. We specialize in many of the same dishes she taught me to make, such as a Bolognese sauce that simmers forever and homemade pasta rolled out with finesse. We also stack sandwiches tall, filled with fresh and often times homemade ingredients like our mozzarella and fruit preserves we make from scratch almost every day. We have an all Italian wine list with everything available by the glass, a killer draught and bottled beer selection, and over the years have developed quite the cocktail program thanks to my bar manager Jennifer Von Schlichten. Finally, on Friday and Saturday nights the bar turns into a dance floor where youngsters dance till late.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Owning a restaurant has been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. And that includes dating the same person for 8 years. Everything from managing a staff of people, to maintaining quality and consistency while keeping things fresh and creative, trying to survive a tough economy and, at times, a languishing street and neighborhood, owning Noni’s has been no walk in the park. But things are much better now than they used to be so I don’t want to sound too dramatic.

Please tell us about Noni’s.
We specialize in fresh Italian comfort food, almost everything being homemade – mozzarella, sweet pickles, tagliatelle, fruit preserves, our famous Noni’s fries, meatballs, all sauces, etc. It’s important for our food, however, while we take great care in its preparation, to be approachable and comfort food-y. Our cocktail program is starting to get major recognition, our staff is the friendliest in town and our dance parties are legendary. And we have free parking.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have condensed the food menu and hired a management staff with people I could delegate tasks to. Rather I did the whole thing essentially by myself which nearly killed me.

Pricing:

• All antipasti range from $6 to $10
• All sandwiches range from $8 to $11 and come with a side
• All pastas range from $8.50 to $10 and come with garlic bread

Contact Info:

• Address: 357 Edgewood Ave SE
• Website: nonisdeli.com
• Phone: 4049158679
• Email: matt@nonisdeli.com

Image Credit:
Raegan Hodge, Jess Winchester, Joe Stewardson