Victor and Roland Gotti: fine dining legends

Nation's Restaurant News, May 22, 1995 by Alan Liddle

Roland Gotti recounts, "Our first remodel was $40,000, and afterward business was pretty good, so we decided to expand upstairs, which cost another $50,000."

Raising $160,000 for a kitchen remodeling in 1960 "was a big challenge," he says, "but we always tried to do the best we possibly could and to give the customer a little more."

Again changing with the times, the brothers spent $450,000 in 1987 to update the decor.

The Gottis travel and dine out frequently to keep abreast of changes in the industry.

There was a period when we served `California Cuisine.' It was supposed to have fresh vegetables and lettuces, but we never did things any other way," Victor Gotti says.

"Then `Nouvelle Cuisine' came along, and we tried it and it worked well for a while. But there wasn't enough food on the plate, so we went back to basic French with our own interpretations, including some Italian and Mediterranean influence," Gotti continues.

Bucking contemporary trends with a confidence only possible after decades of public service, the Gottis have their servers ignite flambes, make crepes and carve meats at the table.

"Some critics might think they are corny, but these things are still popular with guests," Victor Gotti maintains.

General manager Fischer, Victor Gotti's son-in-law, says the brothers are both "wonderful with people, great with names and very detail oriented." He says their willingness to make the extra effort on behalf of guests "carries over to the help."

With other interests, including a partnership in a popular casual seafood restaurant in nearby Sausalito, the Gottis no longer appear daily at Ernie's. Each works two days a week, and both "constantly monitor the place" by phone, Fischer reports.

Roland Gotti's son Michael and daughter Carol work at Ernie's, as do Victor's daughters, Vicki Card and Jennifer Gotti. The brothers' aunts and cousins have helped out in the restaurant through the years, and a cousin, Beverly Delaney, is carrying on with that tradition. Both men have cited the support, understanding and help of their spouses - Victor's wife, Frances, and Roland's wife, Gloria.

"I owe a lot to the restaurant industry," and the connections with wine makers, food brokers and other restaurateurs" it has afforded, Roland Gotti says.

Victor Gotti says that he, his brother and the restaurant's employees are well aware that they "have to work at excellence" and that "it's not easy" to achieve. The good news, he says, is that "its a wonderful profession, and we love the challenge."