Johnny Passione

Restaurant and hospitality executive with more than 30 years of experience helping foodservice businesses grow through stronger operations, smarter purchasing, better team support, and a consistent focus on the guest experience.

Background spans family-owned restaurant ownership, restaurant consulting, foodservice sales, and multi-unit procurement leadership, with practical experience supporting service quality, product consistency, profitability, cost control, vendor partnerships, and brand growth.

Director of Purchasing at Triple T Hospitality Group / Tommy's Tavern + Tap (2024-05 – 2026-05)

• Supported a growing 19-location, multi-concept restaurant group across four states through purchasing leadership, vendor relationships, cost control, and operational collaboration.
• Managed approximately $50M in annual purchasing activity across key foodservice categories including beef, poultry, pork, dry goods, grocery items, frozen categories, bar mixers, garnishes, disposables, chemicals, and restaurant supplies.
• Partnered with the VP of Operations, Directors of Operations, Culinary Team, General Managers, Kitchen Managers, vendors, distributors, brokers, and manufacturers to support restaurant-level execution.
• Maintained a guest-first mindset across purchasing decisions, recognizing that product quality, consistency, availability, and vendor reliability directly impact the restaurant experience.
• Negotiated and maintained vendor programs, manufacturer programs, rebate opportunities, deviation structures, and supplier agreements to help protect margins and strengthen purchasing value.
• Worked with established and newly hired managers to support thoughtful ordering habits, consistent inventory levels, and purchasing decisions aligned with product mix, sales movement, menu execution, and operational needs.
• Served as a practical bridge between restaurant teams and vendor partners, helping improve communication, product availability, consistency, and day-to-day operational support.

Territory Manager at US Foods (2014-03 – 2024-05)

• Managed and grew a high-volume foodservice sales territory serving restaurants, hospitality groups, and foodservice operators throughout the Metro NY market.
• Grew territory sales to approximately $16M while maintaining strong account relationships, customer retention, and business development activity.
• Built trusted relationships with restaurant owners, chefs, managers, and decision-makers by understanding their business needs and supporting daily operations.
• Supported operators with product selection, menu needs, pricing, purchasing decisions, inventory awareness, and profitability opportunities.
• Earned the US Foods President's Cup Award, recognizing top performance among national sales professionals.
• Served as a district mentor for new hires, reinforcing account ownership, follow-through, customer relationships, and treating a book of business as if it were their own.
• Developed a strong understanding of how distributor service, product reliability, pricing, and communication directly influence restaurant operations and the guest experience.

General Manager at Scala's Pizzeria (2008-03 – 2014-03)

• Led daily restaurant operations across guest experience, team leadership, purchasing, inventory, vendor coordination, product consistency, and profitability.
• Helped grow annual sales from $1.7M to $2.6M while maintaining food cost discipline, operational consistency, and strong service standards.
• Developed and supported a 20-person team focused on execution, sanitation, training, accountability, and guest satisfaction.
• Oversaw P&L performance, labor awareness, waste reduction, compliance, service standards, and daily operational leadership.

Restaurant Consultant at Scala's Pizzeria (2007-03 – 2008-03)

• Supported restaurant launch planning across concept development, menu engineering, kitchen design, recipe development, purchasing setup, and operational systems.
• Created menu offerings and SOPs designed to improve efficiency, consistency, profitability, food quality, and guest experience.
• Contributed to a successful first-year launch exceeding $1.7M in sales while supporting food cost controls and operational execution.

Restaurant Ownership & Operations at Attilio's / Family-Owned Restaurant Business (1993 – 2006)

• Built a strong hospitality foundation through hands-on restaurant ownership, daily operations, guest service, team leadership, purchasing, food preparation, vendor relationships, and cost control.
• Helped support and grow a high-volume family restaurant environment through consistent execution, customer relationships, staff development, and operational discipline.
• Developed a practical understanding of restaurants from every angle - from how product comes through the back door to how the guest feels walking out the front door.
• Built a leadership style rooted in hospitality, accountability, teamwork, consistency, and leading by example.

Business Coursework