One of Manchester's most successful and well-known restaurant chains has hailed record sales after recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
San Carlo has also returned to the black for the first time since 2019 and is setting its sights on further expansion. The group already has restaurants across the UK and in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar and is now eyeing new openings in Dubai and Miami.
San Carlo was founded by Carlo Distefano who came to Britain from Sicily in 1962. Aged just 17, all he had was £12 in his pocket, a work permit and a promise of a job at a barbershop.
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By the time he was 20, the self-confessed workaholic had opened his first joint business venture, a hairdressing salon in Leeds, while he also had interests in a coffee bar and disco.
Any free time he had, when he wasn't working seven days a week, was spent in some of London's top restaurants including the Savoy, the Dorchester and Simpsons.
Taking inspiration from his experiences there, Mr Distefano opened his first restaurant in Birmingham in 1992. A second site was opened in Bristol in 1996, followed by Leicester and then Manchester. The roaring success of the Manchester venue would be a turning point for the group, quickly cementing a reputation as the place celebrities wanted to eat - and be seen at.
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The group now has restaurants across the UK - including in Liverpool, Cheshire, London and Leeds.
According to its latest financial accounts, for the 12 months to September 24, 2022, the group's sales surged from almost £30m to nearly £70m.
It also returned to the black for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, achieving a pre-tax profit of £3.5m, up from a loss of £956,590 last year.
The average number of people employed by San Carlo in the year also jumped from 806 to 1,075. In the last full year before the pandemic, the company employed an average of 1,025 people.
Commenting on its latest financial success, the company said: "Having had the previous two financial years seriously impacted by the Covid pandemic, the directors are delighted with this year's results.
"Post year-end, the business continues to grow and has acquired a site in Alderley Edge as well as recently completing a major refurbishment of the San Carlo site in Liverpool."
San Carlo is headquartered in Manchester and earlier this year, it relocated its base to Arkwright House in Parsonage Gardens. The Manchester venue has long-enjoyed a reputation as a venue loved by famous faces.
Clientele at Manchester's King Street West venue over the yearshas included a host of Premier League footballers, touring pop stars, Hollywood actors, presenters and soap stars.
