“The perfect place for a kid to grow up,” Scordato recalls. “We weren’t your typical East Coast family. Dad’s parents were from Sicily and mom was from Denver.”
The family came to Arizona in 1963 when Danny was 5 to help with his asthma. They settled in Duncan.
 Daniel Scordato pictured outside his restaurant Vivace. Janelle Montenegro photo |
In 1967, the family moved to Tucson where Scordato’s father purchased seven catering trucks and a sandwich shop. By 1971 they had 24 trucks selling retail and delivering to convenience stores.
Scordato was only 10 years old but remembers, “We were the stock boys and janitors during the summers. We mopped floors; that’s where I learned to clean toilets.”
The family sold that business and opened Scordato’s restaurant in the Tucson Mountain foothills in 1972. Everybody in the family worked at the restaurant.
“We didn’t really have a choice. We worked for dad. My brothers worked before school. My sister played the piano. We all worked in the kitchen after school,” Scordato remembers.
Young Danny wasn’t the academic type, which was convenient for the family. Scordato’s father believed that if he could make it without formal education then so could his kids.
“He taught us that if we had our own business, we didn’t need an education. There was nothing better than having the freedom of owning your own business. Now that I am somewhat successful, it’s easier to agree with him,” Scordato says.
Instead, his father taught Danny and his siblings the restaurant business. Scordato remembers counting money, preparing deposits and balancing the day’s take.
In 1986, Scordato and a few investors opened Daniel’s restaurant in Plaza Palomino. He was 27.
“I made mistakes and lost customers. I learned that first impressions are everything,” he said.
Scordato invested heavily in an efficient kitchen but not enough in the dining room and the customer experience suffered. After reorganization, Daniel’s reopened at St. Philip’s Plaza with a new owner as Scordato’s partner.
“It was terrible. For all these years my dad succeeded and here I felt like I had failed.”
Danny’s father remains in Tucson and is proud of what his son has accomplished.
After two years, Scordato left Daniel’s and went to work at other places. But Scordato knew he had to own his own business to get the quality and service he wanted. In his words, “I always want to be able to change what can be done better.”
Vivace opened in 1993 in Crossroads Festival, at the corner of Grant and Swan roads. Scordato found a partner, a numbers guy who was happy to have him run the restaurant. Eight years later Vivace moved to its current location in St. Philip’s Plaza, 4301 N. Campbell.
“I love owning a restaurant because I like making people happy,” Scordato says with a smile. “I may not be able to give millions to charity but I try to make people happy every day.”
The Rotary Club of Tucson, where Scordato is a member, has witnessed Scordato’s generosity.
In a business with traditionally high turnover, Scordato works to retain his 75 employees.
“Even my newcomers have been here for several years,” he says. “I do my share of yelling when I get excited, but we allow our staff the opportunity to work as professionals and earn a good living. I want my employees to be the highest paid restaurant workers in town.”
If you are considering opening a restaurant, Scordato suggests you strive for balance and attention to detail.
“I can’t be everywhere at once and I’m not good at leaving someone else in control so I need to consider where to invest my time and attention,” he says.
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Scordato says he wants “to be aware of all of the details and know that everything is working the way I want things to work. I have great employees but I want them to do things the way I want them done.”
He puts a high value on knowing his customers, knowing what he is trying to accomplish and maintaining consistency.
“We need to set and maintain the standard that our customers come to enjoy to keep them coming back,” Scordato says. “We have thousands of clients. I’ve served more than a million plates and customers expect the same level of service and quality every time.”
Being a restaurateur means becoming familiar with every aspect of the business.
“If you’re going to serve a unique menu that takes talent to prepare, you must be a chef. You need to have your own recipes and know how every process in the kitchen and dining room is going to work. Without that, you are at the mercy of one person,” he says.
His favorite business book is “Fish!” about the fish sellers at Seattle’s Pike Place Market who transform throwing fish into customer relationships and sales.
Scordato wants you to know Vivace is about value.
“We use the best ingredients, we hire great employees and we treat them well. We put a great deal of effort into every step, all focused on giving customers great food, great value, and a great dining experience,” he said.
Biz Facts
Vivace
4310 N. Campbell Ave.
in St. Philip’s Plaza
www.vivacetucson.com
(520) 795-7221
Pizzeria Vivace
4280 N. Campbell Ave.
in St. Philip’s Plaza
www.pizzeriavivace.com
(520) 529-2700
Contact Gary Hirsch at gary.hirsch@vistage.com or (520) 225-0373 to suggest a CEO or business owner for a future “Inner-view.” Hirsch is a group chair and executive coach with Vistage International - www.vistage.com - and leads a group of CEOs, company presidents and business owners who meet monthly.
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