profile Tony DiSilvestro [ by grace hobson ]
COURTESY YNOT ITALIAN
DiSilvestro has launched multiple locations of Ynot Italian. But his vision extends to making Virginia Beach thrive for other business owners as well as for its residents and visitors.
Tony DiSilvestro hails from New Jersey but resides in Virginia Beach as founder and president of the restaurant chain Ynot Italian. Having founded over 31 businesses and currently employing over 450 people through his own, DiSilvestro has a growing portfolio of franchises and professional ventures. In 2020, Distinction Magazine recognized DiSilvestro as Entrepreneur of the Year. He serves as a member of the Virginia Beach Vision Board, which includes the top 125 business owners in the region and is heavily involved in the Entrepreneur’s Organization. In addition, he has founded his own mentoring company, Business Scaling Blueprint, and is an internationally renowned business and leadership trainer. DiSilvestro moved to Virginia Beach and founded the first of many Ynot Italian franchises in 1993 on Great Neck Road. These days, Ynot Italian prepares to expand up and down the East Coast with 50 to 100 franchises opening in North Carolina, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Fairfax in the next five years. “I really don’t want to expand anywhere that I can’t reach in one day, so we can support our brand,” said DiSilvestro. When the pandemic hit, Ynot Italian adapted its business and opened a to-go-only store that focused solely on delivery orders. Eighty percent of Ynot Italian’s expanding stores will be smaller, to-go only stores, with the remaining 20% being the larger, eat-in-formatted franchises. Having garnered such success with his own business, DiSilvestro has mentored entrepreneurs for over 20 years and recently launched his formal mentorship program to help other businesses in the Tidewater region thrive. “For me, it’s so hard when I drive past a business and I see that it failed. Most people just say, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe they went out of business.’ But how I look at it is, they saved for 20 years to open up that business, and now they’re out—it’s heart-wrenching to me,” DiSilvestro said. “So if there’s anything I can do to help businesses sustain and grow, I’ll do it; that is my passion in life. I love entrepreneurship—it is in my blood. My goal is to help every business succeed if I can.” In addition to his personal business endeavors and the role he plays in that of others, DiSilvestro is highly involved with the economic development of the Virginia Beach community. “[Virginia Beach] isn’t like New Jersey, where seashore towns are busy four months a year and then there’s nothing else happening,” said DiSilvestro. “We have such an amazing economy behind the oceanfront...and our city truly is represented by that culture. I want the people of Virginia Beach to love where they live.” Part of DiSilvestro’s involvement includes his role as a critical resource in the development of the Princess Anne Innovation Hub. He will open six buildings or 270,000 square feet of office space to be used by the Innovation Hub. “We’re working on bringing large, Fortune 500 companies to this region to create better jobs. I’m working with Northern Virginia and a couple boulevard | nov 2021-jan 2022
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