LOCAL DINING
Chris and Tony’s -Matty Sorrentino Helps Create a New Family-Style Favorite By M.C. SUSSMAN
LOOKING TO OPEN A NEW RESTAURANT? Want to serve your classic eggplant parmigiana to a different crowd every night? You might want to talk to Matthew Sorrentino. Matty, as Sorrentino is known, is a restaurant consultant at the new Chris and Tony’s Restaurant and Lounge in Syosset as well as the more established 388 in Roslyn, Serrata in Long Beach and Oyster Bay and Ciros in Kings Park. He earned his restaurateur pedigree at family-style Matteo’s, where he worked for his brother, Andrew, and his dad, Salvatore. His family opened the first Matteo’s in Hewlett in 1990, eventually growing the chain to eight locations. After the Sorrentino family sold Matteo’s in 2008, Matty went on his own as a consultant in 2010. Chris Tarsi, an owner of Chris and Tony’s, hired Matty for “his knowledge; his experience.” “He knows the business inside and out,” says Tarsi. Sitting at a table near the open doors at Chris and Tony’s on Jericho Turnpike on a recent afternoon, Matty says he eats out 7 nights a week, each at a different client. “I’m on call 24/7,” he says. “Like a psychiatrist.” His job includes a bit of pepper and a bit of salt: dispensing advice, redesigning the kitchen and dining room, decorating, training staff, weighing in on the menu and working with purveyors. The secret to running a good restaurant, Matty says, is “cleanliness, niceness and great food.” People want service when they go out to eat. The restaurant’s job is “to treat people as you want to be treated. You want to be treated nicely when you come to a restaurant; no one likes to hear ‘no.’” Matty says. His job is easy “when you have a good kitchen backing you up.” Even those who can’t be pleased, his toughest critics, “we kill them with kindness.” The similarity between all the restaurants Matty consults for is comfort and coziness. “I make them feel like home, make it a pleasant experience. People spend a 64 SHAWN ELLIOTT LUXURY
OPENING NIGHT FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY Matty Sorrentino, Tony Ambrosio, Chris Fichera, Chris Tarsi
Matty Sorrentino, Shawn Elliott
lot of money to go out and enjoy themselves,” whether they dine out once a day, once a month or once a year. With the “rough economy,” and lots of competition, he advises restaurants to cater to everyone and make the experience worth repeating. “You want them to have a memorable time; you want to do whatever you have to do to have them come back,” he says.
At Chris and Tony’s, that includes flat screen televisions throughout the dining rooms, and not all on the same channel. “It’s hard to get kids to come out when their show is on, a game is on, “Dancing With The Stars” or a political function or an awards night. If they are watching sports, the husbands don’t want to come out of the house. We want to make them as com-
fortable as possible -- as if they were in the house,” Matty adds. The restaurants he consults with all have party rooms and outside catering. They attract couples, singles, friends and families. At Chris and Tony’s, they’re prepared for the health and diet conscious and all sorts of fussy eaters: the menu includes a “healthy corner” and several salads, includ-