Seizing the moment at Monte's

The Monte family's latest ventures: award-winning sauces and a new restaurant.

An extraordinary family history is the bedrock of Monte's at the Manor, a new dining destination opened last year to great fanfare in Montauk, N.Y. Located in the historic Montauk Manor, the restaurant traces its roots to the Venetian Room in Brooklyn, launched in 1906 by Angelo and Filomena Monte, and Gurney's Inn, opened half a century later in Montauk by Nick Monte, one of the couple's seven sons.

Gurney's flourished under the Montes' ownership for 50 years, with all the second-generation brothers involved at one time or another, as well as children, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Along the way, other Montes explored other career options, with doctors, professionals and police officers in the mix.

With the hospitality business booming, it seemed natural for Gurney's to build out a full-service bar, more than 100 hotel rooms, a beach barge, and a health and beauty spa. Then the travel bug struck again. The Monte family sold Gurney's in 2013 and moved into Hudson Valley, opening Monte's Local Kitchen & Tap Room in the small town of Amenia, N.Y., in 2014. It was fun while it lasted, but the pandemic spelled its early demise.

As the world emerged from its COVID isolation, the family was preparing to open Monte's at the Manor. “We first heard about the Montauk opportunity in December 2022,” remembers third-generation entrepreneur Paul Monte. “By then the pandemic was in the rear-view mirror and, aside from some new sanitation protocols, the restaurant business was pretty much back to normal.” The family pooled its capital — what Paul calls “personal resources” — for renovations and start-up costs.

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Monte's at the Manor offers fine dining and the Monte family flair inside and outside.
Monte's at the Manor offers fine dining and the Monte family flair inside and outside.

Meanwhile, looking for ways to expand the business, Paul's son PJ Monte explored the intricacies of fine Italian tomato sauces and Filomena's trusted family recipe with his uncle, Chip Monte. In 2020 they launched Monte's Fine Foods, initially selling jarred sauce from the trunk of his car to specialty shops and farm stands from the Hudson Valley to New York City and the Hamptons.

Today, Monte's Fine Foods operates from a leased production facility on Long Island. Following a mention in the New York Times, the business exploded, and Monte's sauce now is on the shelves in nearly 500 retail locations, PJ says. In January, Food & Wine magazine voted Monte's Original Family Recipe Tomato Sauce the absolute best of the best; it beat out 99 other contenders.

“We're still way too young a business to be planning a succession event or process,” Paul says, “but as we continue to build our brand, we will institute a viable succession plan.” Expansion and franchising, he adds, “are always a part of the conversation when the family gathers for future planning, but time will tell what lays in store for our next chapter.”

There are more than enough Montes to ensure at least one family member will be on the staff. We've got two generations in the business right now, and we expect that at least one or several of my children will be interested in carrying on this new Monte’s restaurant that we are creating.” Paul predicts. “While they, as well as others in the family, currently have full-time careers, some directly in hospitality and others indirectly, we expect that there will be a continued Monte presence in the current business, and other Monte-branded businesses such as the Monte’s Fine Foods sauce company.”

The omens are favorable: “Fortunately for us, the business has been going strong since the day we opened.  We have received an overwhelmingly supportive response from the local community as well as the hotel guests, homeowners and transient visitors.” And, PJ adds, “In classic Monte manner, nobody knows how to retire. We'll always be here.”

About the Author(s)

Scott Chase

Scott Chase joined Family Business 20 years ago and is a frequent contributor to the magazine.


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