At the beginning of 1998 my partner Dino and I started planning to open our own restaurant.  Since we were newly from Italy we had no clue how to start.  We sought help in a local SCORE office in Staten Island.  

Il Mediterraneo

In the beginning we received basic counseling (registering the partnership, getting a certificate of authority, EIN, etc.  We started Il Mediterraneo in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1998.  After a few months we realized that we needed more capital to keep the restaurant going.  Banks turned us down, having no business history, insufficient personal credit, etc.  

We went back to Score where counselor Joe Gloznek helped us develop a business plan.  After several meetings with other Score counselors and the technical support of Chris Olivera, a Score counselor with many years of SBA experience, we got a five year loan from Richmond County bank.  The loan enabled us not only to keep the business running but to also expand it.  We expanded the seating capacity, developed a regular following with our clientele.  We started having parties and started a catering service.  In the beginning we catered for one retail organization.  We now include a number of such companies in our catering service.

After about three years we still come to Score for counseling and support.  We now operate our business with confidence and much more pleasure, in large part because of our friends and mentors at Score.

Il Mediterraneo