Bielat Santore & Company’s “Who’s Who in the Restaurant Industry”
Allenhurst, NJ (PRWEB) October 21, 2013 -- Not in his wildest dreams did Tommy Bonfiglio, a former attorney and Brooklyn native think that his pizzeria, Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza Restaurant & Bar would soar into one of the best homemade pizza shops in New Jersey. When the first restaurant opened its doors in 2009 in Red Bank, New Jersey, people fell in love with the great taste of coal fired pizza. Today, Bonfiglio owns three Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza restaurants with other locations in Brick, New Jersey and Paramus, New Jersey, and he is still looking to expand.
Spending twenty-five years as an attorney, Bonfiglio wanted a change and he also wanted to partner up with his wife Yvette, in a new business venture. Putting his briefcase aside, he decided to turn his love for pizza into a career. “Pizza is my passion,” said Bonfiglio. “I wanted to do pizza my way.” My daughter Andrea is also involved in our business and helps out with social media, online promotions, and coming up with weekly specials. “This is not work, it is a passion,” said Bonfiglio. “We go home and that’s all we talk about. We love it!”
Before discovering that perfect recipe, Bonfiglio spent months researching pizza from the crust to the order of the sauce and cheese, finally settling on the delicious recipe that customers are crazy about. “I loved food and I loved pizza and finding the perfect taste took months of eating pizza,” said Bonfiglio. “I tried 9,000 different cheeses, sauces and dough’s. Sometimes I didn’t like the sauces and the cheeses. It was a whole trial and error process.”
So what’s the big secret behind his popular pizza creation? “The quicker you cook a pizza, the better it tastes,” said Bonfiglio. “Nothing in my restaurant is older than three days old. I don’t have a freezer in this entire restaurant. I can’t hide behind bad ingredients. Everything is fresh, fresh, fresh!”
Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza is known for more than just its savory pies. Other crowd favorites include an array of pastas, sandwiches and coal fired roasted wings. “I sell more wings than chicken places do,” said Bonfiglio. The restaurant has received numerous awards for their food. It was named Pizza Today’s 2013 Top 100 and received 2nd place for New Jersey Monthly Magazine for the best wings in New Jersey. “It is very rewarding to get that recognition,” said Bonfiglio. “We have won lots of local competitions as well.”
Tommy Bonfiglio and his wife Yvette are also involved with several organizations such as The Ashley Lauren Foundation, Lakewood Blue Claws, Shoreline Media Marketing, Kidz 4 Kidz, Count Basie Theatre, The Two Rivers Theatre Company, and Red Bank Armory. Teaming up with the Ashley Lauren Foundation, Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza holds Tommy’s Family and Children of the Month, where every month the duo picks one child/family in need and work together to solicit donations for them. Many of these families are suffering with a child who has cancer or another illness. “We hate cancer; we like kids so we figured we’d get involved,” said Bonfiglio. “This is all about having fun and giving back.”
The pizzeria has also worked closely with famous names like Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlo’s Bakery from TLC’s Cake Boss, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from MTV’s Jersey Shore, and Queen Latifah who have helped with their charity events. “We want these kids to have a great experience,” said Bonfiglio.
With plans to open more Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza’s outside of New Jersey, Bonfiglio is considering making the eatery a franchise. “After three and one-half years, I feel I’m now ready to offer franchises,” said Bonfiglio. So many people have asked me to do it and I feel like I’m finally ready.
Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza Restaurant & Bar is open for lunch, dinner and drinks from 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. on week days; open later on the weekends. Take-out and delivery is also available. Visit them at their various locations: 2 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, New Jersey; 515 Route 70, Brick, New Jersey; 700 Paramus Park, Paramus, New Jersey. Visit their website and social media pages for additional information on weekly specials and coupons http://tommyscoalfiredpizza.com/.
About Bielat Santore & Company
Bielat Santore & Company is an established commercial real estate firm. The company’s expertise lies chiefly within the restaurant and hospitality industry, specializing in the sale of restaurants and other food and beverage real estate businesses. Since 1978, the principals of Bielat Santore & Company, Barry Bielat and Richard Santore, have sold more restaurants and similar type properties in New Jersey than any other real estate company. Furthermore, the firm has secured in excess of $500,000,000 in financing to facilitate these transactions. Visit the company’s website, http://www.123bsc.com for the latest in new listings, property searches, available land, market data, financing trends, RSS feeds, press releases and more.
Richard R. Santore, Bielat Santore & Company, http://www.123bsc.com, +1 732-869-4200, [email protected]
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