Entrepreneur’s annual list of America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops celebrates local, independent businesses that light up their communities. Editor in chief Jason Feifer is traveling the country to visit with some of this year’s stars, and his latest stop is Robke’s, where he finds out how the Selvaggio family, owners for 48 years, turned a small bar once run by a German family into the neighborhood’s favorite Italian restaurant.
Robke’s, located in Northport, Long Island, breaks just about every rule in the restaurant playbook: no delivery, no reservations, no credit cards. And it works.
Owner Louis Selvaggio says the rules have stayed in place because the customers keep coming. “When you’re good, you’re good, and people respect that,” he says. “If there wasn’t a line out the door every weekend, maybe we’d rethink things.”
Feifer notes that is is a lesson founder’s should take note of: “You don’t get to make your own rules until you’re the only place that does what you do.”
That doesn’t mean standing still. Mia Selvaggio says Instagram Reels “took it to the next level,” especially videos showing how to prepare the signature pork chop martini. (No, it’s not a drink.)
Selvaggio sets the often frantic service pace himself. “I like to lead by example,” he says. “I’ll bus the tables. I’ll put the cheese on the pasta. I’ll hold the door open. When I move, the staffers move.”
Watch the full episode to see how Robke’s built its kitchen culture and its loyal following. As Feifer puts it, “In a world of ever-evolving technologies, businesses, and workflows, it’s the simple approach that lasts.”
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