Franco on Melrose a Great New Italian Restaurant in Los Angeles

Franco was the Executive Chef at Biltmore Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles for six years.  In May 2011  he went back home to rest in Italy for two months and came back recharged.  He started consulting for couple of restaurants, and while looking online for used equipment for them, came  across an ad for a restaurant for sale.  He checked out the space on May 25, 2012, and on June 1st he signed contract.

Franco redid the entire place cosmetically, including the kitchen in three-and-a-half weeks and reopened on July 5th.

Franco on Melrose is a hidden Gem, full of life, and at the same time, cozy and welcoming. Romantic and kind of mysterious at the same time.  From the outside you don’t know what to expect.

Franco designed the place to be relaxing and to make his patrons feel like are in their own homes;  able to step into their back yard, relax, and listen to music while indulging their palate with food and wine.  All accomplished without the intrusion of  traffic noise and pollution.

Jaime’s dream was to become a dancer/choreographer, so left his home at the early age of 14 to move to Mexico City.  He “got into” one of the best dance schools at the time, Amalia Hernandez, by standing outside and watching how the teacher was training the students through the window.  He went on to become a dancer/teacher of traditional folkloric dance of  Mexico. At the age of 19 he opened his own school and had about 180 student from 5-20 years of age who toured all over Mexico.

Jaime moved to the U.S. and when he arrived in Los Angeles, he auditioned for  The Lion King show at Disneyland .  He was one of two out of 225 who got the part, and he stayed under contract for four year.

Long story short Franco and Jaime had a friend in common on Facebook where they got together.  It  all happened quickly, even the restaurant, with announcing one day that he had bought a restaurant and would start remodeling the next day.

Franco and Jaime are a couple with values and who believe and family, so they want to make sure that every single person who comes through the door feels special and is treated like a family, not just like a customer spending money.

Franco has a hotel background where guest services, and exceeding expectations and making the guest feel special is a must.  The restaurant business is a little different.  It is all about the tips.

Franco and Jaime want people to know that there is a place in Los Angeles, where food is top quality, but more importantly they make their patrons feel special and where ambience, food and service are combined together like a perfect drink recipe.