Robert Kissinger’s first job in the restaurant business was washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant when he was in high school.
In college, he waited tables, tended bar and was even a cook. Afterward he worked his way up through various management positions.
Today he’s the new president and chief operating officer of Rosti, a Brentwood-based Italian restaurant chain with six locations in greater Los Angeles and two in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Prior to joining Rosti, Kissinger was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Louise’s Trattoria.
Moving from one Italian restaurant chain to another was easy, said Kissinger, whose favorite cuisine is Italian food. “I’d already invested many pounds in it,” he said.
At Rosti, Kissinger is responsible for the chain’s operations, often making spot inspections at local restaurants. He also oversees the expansion of the restaurant’s take-home business.
“With the crunch between traffic and commitments, time is crucial,” he said, which is why he expects the take-home business of the restaurant to grow.
For Kissinger, growing up in “very humble beginnings” with five siblings, restaurants were always a real treat. One of the things he used to notice as a kid was that “people at restaurants are always happy.”
Since then, maintaining high-quality service has been crucial to him.
“A lot of companies have shopping services,” said Kissinger. Inspectors posing as customers “will come in and evaluate the food, the services and cleanliness of bathrooms.”
Sometimes, when he’s not on official visits inspecting Rosti restaurants, he visits other restaurants as a customer and as a favor to other restaurant executives.
“My No. 1 thing when I get to a restaurant is the attitude. Do people really care about my comfort? Are they genuinely happy I’m here? Sometimes you go in and you’re an inconvenience,” he said.
Kissinger certainly has garnered plenty of experience eating out.
“I generally eat at home only once a week for dinner,” said Kissinger, “I mainly eat at Rosti.”
And when he’s not eating Italian food, he has a second favorite cuisine Thai food.
Chris Denina
