I take my time before I hire anybody. I want that person to be a friend, somebody I can treat on an equal basis. If he says he's going to do something, he'll do it. He allows me to run the restaurant the way I want to, and that motivates me to do the very best I can. Unlike his father, who flourished with independent restaurants, Jim Pardini has found success running franchise operations.
Customers come in and they want to see the owner.
With a franchise, you can be in the background. You hire a management team to run things and you don't have to be greeting people at the front door. Jim Pardini's management skills have caught the eye of corporate leaders at Tony Roma's. His Tony Roma's outlet at Bullard and West avenues has become a certified training restaurant where new franchise owners learn the business. Pardini's catering company, which he started in 1981 with two old trucks and 400 place settings, remains his first love.