Concessionaires of the Month Brian & Griffin Gillette Gillette’s Catering, Inc. & Polar Bear Homemade Ice Cream Parlor Oneonta & Otego, NY - Brian and Griffin “Griff” Gillette are brothers. They grew up working as Concessionaires and today these brothers specialize in ice cream and pizza, with Brian running Gillette Catering, Inc., which includes his Gillette’s Pizza stand, and Griffin “Griff” Gillette running Polar Bear Homemade Ice Cream Parlor. NICA News: Thank you for being able to speak to us! How long have you been Concessionaires and members of NICA? Brian Gillette: I’ve been a NICA Member for as long as I can remember. I recall the very first NICA meeting at the Southwest Florida Fair in West Palm. As a matter of fact, it was our very first event as Gillette Catering, too. I guess you can say we have the same anniversary: 1993. Griffin Gillette: I have been a Concessionaire and a NICA Member since day one as well. NN: What made you join NICA? BG: At first I joined to belong to a group that represented the “little guy.” It was to represent the small businessperson, giving us a voice. GG: I was at the first meeting when NICA was being created and I wanted to be a part of it. NN: How did you get in to the concession business? BG: My career in the fair business started when I was just eight or nine years old. My Grandparents owned a barbeque restaurant and each Summer they would attend several local County Fairs, serving their goods. Griff, our sister, and our cousins would take turns going to help. Upon their retirement, my Aunt Brian & Griff’s first pizza! & Uncle took over 20
June 2015 NICA News
Brian & Griff Gillette in their younger days
the restaurant and we continued to work at the restaurant and those local fairs throughout our high school years. Gillette Catering, better known as Gillette’s Pizza and Slush Works was formed after drumming up the courage to ask my Uncle John & Aunt Joan for a $25,000 loan during my senior year of college. I purchased a repossessed bratwurst trailer from Uni-Glide (one person’s failure was my window into the business) and the rest is history! Ironically, Gillette’s Pizza and Slush Works operate at these very same events almost 40 years later. GG: I think Brian covered it. My Associate and Bachelor degrees are in Restaurant and Hotel Management, and my family has been in the business since the 1950’s, so I took the challenge!