DOMENICO’ S ITALIAN RESTAURANT & CATERING
FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT

Your Own Way

What is the name of your business? Domenico’s is named after my grandfather, Domenico “Nick” Arcobasso.

What is your product or service? We are a full-service restaurant with menu items that include steaks, seafood, chicken, veal, and of course, pasta! We also have full bar service.

When did your business get started? We opened on December 11, 1991. In July 1991, I was presented an opportunity to take over a space that was a previous restaurant. I was able to utilize the previous restaurant’s equipment, furnishing, fixtures, etc., which made the decision to pursue this space a more attractive opportunity. I was previously working in St. Louis for my family at Domenico’s Restaurant in Florissant, and my sister’s Domenico’s restaurant at the Lake as well as restaurants owned and operated by both of my brothers’ in the St. Louis area. Getting into the restaurant business was inevitable for me.

What’s your favorite part of your business? The people, employees, customers, vendors, etc. I enjoy interacting with people of all ages and backgrounds.

What kind of culture exists in your organization? Our culture has always been family driven. When you spend more time with the people you work with than your own family and go thru the cycles from calm to crazy and work through the highs and lows together, it brings you all closer. The older I get, I see our team members more as my kids than as just an employee.

What are your future goals? Having survived the lows of 2008 through 2014, and now working through Covid, we are just going to keep plugging away, doing what we do for as long as we can. Eventually, I hope to be fortunate enough to sell the business that we have built over the last 30 years to someone that shares our passion for the business.

What sets you apart from your competition? Our product is consistent and we strive to maintain our use of quality ingredients in what we provide. But our team members make the difference. The majority of our team is made up of long-term members. This allows our customers to get to know who is taking care of them and that we care about the service we provide.

How did Covid affect your business? Being located in Jefferson City has been a blessing. We initially shut down for about six weeks, did some deep cleaning, some minor updates, and kept busy until we could reopen.

Awards or notables that we should know about? Domenico’s has been listed on the Top 20 Most Highly Rated Restaurants in Missouri by the OnlyInYourState network, listed as the best Italian restaurant (Columbia/Jefferson City, August 2018, Feast), and we received the Missouri Beef Backer Award based on quality steaks entrees.

Anything else you would like to add? Domenico’s is seafood’s best-kept secret.

Celebrating 30 Years! | December 11, 2021