Esperto Hospitality Group

What Esperto Hospitality Group does

Esperto Hospitality Group is a privately held multi-concept restaurant operator founded in 2020 by John DiLeo and Anthony DiLeo and headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey. The company owns and operates six distinct restaurant brands across New Jersey: COVO Italian Steakhouse (Englishtown), Local House Kitchen + Bar (Tinton Falls), Catezza Italian Kitchen & Bar (Red Bank), Cafe Pari (Toms River/Red Bank), The Office Restaurant & Lounge (Toms River, operating over 35 years), and Daddy's Chicken Shack (acquired May 2026 and positioned for franchise expansion). The portfolio spans upscale Italian steakhouse, casual American, Italian kitchen, café, lounge, and quick-service chicken concepts, targeting individual consumers and social groups in Monmouth and Ocean counties seeking curated dining experiences.

The business operates on two revenue streams: (1) food and beverage sales from company-operated restaurants, generated through dine-in service, third-party reservation platforms (Resy, OpenTable), and individual brand websites; and (2) franchise fees and royalties from Daddy's Chicken Shack, which President/COO Todd Madlener is developing as the platform for national franchise replication. There is no proprietary technology platform disclosed; the company relies on standard hospitality tooling and reservation integrations.

Esperto's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via owned physical locations, supplemented by franchise licensing as a growth lever. Leadership combines founder ownership (DiLeo family) with recruited senior operators: Todd Madlener (ex-Red Robin 21 years, led franchise operations for 100+ locations), Ryan Murrin (ex-Chipotle 15 years, Pancheros CMO), and Tony Ruccio (16 years at Darden Restaurants). The strategic thesis articulated by the founders is to convert the proven NJ restaurant portfolio into a scalable franchise platform, beginning with Daddy's Chicken Shack and targeting nationwide expansion.

Name

Esperto Hospitality Group

Legal name

Esperto Hospitality Group

Website

https://espertohg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Esperto Hospitality Group is a privately held, NJ-based multi-concept restaurant operator founded in 2020, owning six dining brands across Monmouth and Ocean counties and developing Daddy's Chicken Shack as a national franchise platform targeting individual consumers and prospective franchisees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Operations

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE), All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

Keywords

• Restaurant operations
• Hospitality services
• Multi-brand dining
• Franchise development
• Casual dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Holmdel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining (Food and Beverage Sales): Primary revenue stream from operating restaurant establishments. Customers pay for meals, beverages, and entertainment at COVO Italian Steakhouse, Local House, Catezza, Cafe Pari, The Office Restaurant & Lounge, and Daddy's Chicken Shack locations across New Jersey.
2. Franchise Fees and Licensing: Revenue from franchise expansion, particularly Daddy's Chicken Shack. The company is developing franchise systems and operational frameworks to replicate restaurant concepts nationwide, generating initial franchise fees and ongoing royalty streams from franchisees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Esperto Hospitality Group crafts, designs, and operates a portfolio of six premier dining establishments across New Jersey, including Italian steakhouses, casual American kitchens, cafes, lounges, and a chicken concept positioned for franchise expansion. The company operates dine-in venues for individual consumers and is building a franchise network (notably Daddy's Chicken Shack) to scale its concepts nationwide.

Product overview

Esperto Hospitality Group operates a multi-brand restaurant portfolio consisting of six distinct dining concepts across New Jersey. The portfolio includes upscale Italian steakhouse (COVO Italian Steakhouse), Italian kitchen (Catezza Italian Kitchen & Bar), casual American dining (Local House Kitchen + Bar), café dining (Cafe Pari), lounge dining (The Office Restaurant & Lounge), and a franchise chicken concept (Daddy's Chicken Shack) positioned for national expansion. The group is structured as a platform of complementary restaurant brands rather than a single unified product, each targeting different dining occasions and market segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COVO Italian Steakhouse: Italian Steakhouse located in Englishtown, NJ
• Local House Kitchen + Bar
• Catezza Italian Kitchen & Bar
• Cafe Pari
• The Office Restaurant & Lounge
• Daddy's Chicken Shack
• The Villa

Products and services

• COVO Italian Steakhouse

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Restaurant Brands International: RBI owns Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs — a multi-brand franchise-led QSR platform. Represents the strategic end-state model Esperto is pursuing with Daddy's Chicken Shack franchise expansion.
• Focus Brands: Multi-brand franchisor operating Cinnabon, Jamba, Auntie Anne's, Carvel, and others. As a franchise-focused multi-brand platform in foodservice, it provides a relevant comparable for Esperto's Daddy's Chicken Shack franchising ambitions.
• Darden Restaurants: Darden operates multiple full-service restaurant brands (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grale, Cheddar's). Tony Ruccio spent 16 years in operational excellence at Darden, making it the closest large-cap multi-concept comparable and a likely talent/training reference point.
• Bloomin' Brands: Bloomin' Brands operates Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming's. As a multi-brand casual-to-upscale full-service operator with an Italian steakhouse concept (similar to COVO), it represents a direct strategic comparable for Esperto's portfolio approach.
• Brinker International: Brinker operates Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy. Multi-concept casual-to-upscale full-service operator with a comparable brand portfolio structure, though at substantially greater scale.
• Inspire Brands: Inspire owns Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Dunkin', and Jimmy John's. Multi-brand franchise platform with portfolio diversification similar to Esperto's stated vision, particularly for the franchise growth strategy around Daddy's Chicken Shack.

Emerging players

• Hillstone Restaurant Group: Operates upscale-casual concepts (Hillstone, Houston's, Bandera, R+D Kitchen) with emphasis on hospitality-driven dining. Comparable in positioning Esperto as a multi-brand upscale casual operator focused on experience quality.

Direct peers

• Perkins Restaurant & Bakery: Co-founder Anthony DiLeo owns and operates multiple Perkins franchise locations in NY/NJ. While a different segment (family dining/breakfast), the franchise ownership overlap makes Perkins a direct operational comparable.
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers: Casual dining chain where President/COO Todd Madlener spent 21 years overseeing franchise operations for 100+ locations. Its franchise system structure is the explicit model Esperto is applying to Daddy's Chicken Shack.
• The ONE Group Hospitality: Operates STK Steakhouse, Benihana, and Kona Grill — an upscale, multi-concept full-service and steakhouse operator. Most direct comparable for Esperto's COVO Italian Steakhouse positioning and overall upscale portfolio approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Esperto Hospitality Group