There are currently Twenty Four (24) Bice restaurants in the world and additional Four (4) are slated to be opened by 2002. Bice's president, Roberto Ruggeri, His son Raffaelle, and his partner Stefano Frittella will oversee a group of Thirty Five (35) restaurants scattered all over the globe. Both the number of employees (currently 1800) and annual profits (now 100 million dollars) are sure to increase accordingly.

Not bad for a project that was begun in Italy as an alternative to America. In 1926, Roberto's mother, Beatrice, who is affectionately known as Bice, chose Milan rather than Philadelphia as her husband had suggested as the site for the opening of the first restaurant (still in operation) that bears her name. The restaurant's success in Milan was so great that plans to cross the ocean to America were put on the back burner… for the moment anyway. In the late seventies, Roberto and his brother Remo were their mother's right hand men. The fashion and business boom in Milan skyrocketed Bice to the top and it soon became a favorite haunt of the Italian international jet sets. At their summer location on the Emerald Coast in Sardegna, it wasn't unusual to find three royal families in addition to the Agnelli's and the Kennedy's dining on the same night. The 80's marked the beginning of the union between New York and Milan. The decision to test the waters in the United States seemed almost natural to Ruggeri and on July 12, 1987, the first Bice Restaurant opened its doors on 54^th Street. It was an astounding overnight success. Why? Roberto Ruggeri offers the following explanation: "Because Bice brought a new type of authentic, Italian cuisine and a new "viability" to dining¾people come to Bice to see and be seen¾and to New York, the nerve center of the modern world.

The original plan was to open one restaurant, certainly not an entire chain. Instead, the number of openings multiplied. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, Palm Beach and Tokyo all in the short span of three years. Up until that point, international restaurant chains were confined to fast food restaurants and a few steakhouses, but Ruggeri confronted and overcame the challenge of creating a global image for his restaurants. "At the root of my entrepreneurial project is the desire to offer our clients the possibility to identify themselves with our restaurants, with the food we prepare and the same atmosphere that they'll find whether they are in Mexico City, Sao Paulo or Milan. Our regulars make up an elite club that travels all over the world and knows that Bice is always there when they want to enjoy themselves."

Restaurants are usually identified by their owners or their chefs, but Roberto Ruggeri and his staff have, for the first time, succeeded in creating an aura around the name of their restaurants that makes up for the absence of their owner and it is for this reason that all around the globe people simply say, "Let's go to Bice!" However, success often has its perils. As a wise entrepreneur, Ruggeri knows: "You get to a certain point at which you consider yourself immortal. I've made huge mistakes trying to keep up with the unrelenting pace of business here in America. I've made deals with landlords that forced me to opened and then close immediately, like in Scottsdale where the season only last for three months, or in San Diego on the fourth floor of a mall, or in Atlanta four years before the Olympics. It's true that I spent very little but my losses were more than one million dollars in one year and the situation was only exacerbated by the economic crisis in '93-'94 the followed the crisis in the Gulf."

In 1995, the need to diversify their services in order to accommodate the changing tastes of their clients became apparent. Alongside the tried and true Bice formula, Ruggeri introduced new theme-related restaurants, "Caffè Med" in Miami and Los Angeles: Mediterranean food for a younger clientele at more affordable prices. The same year, his collaboration with Stefano Frittella, owner of Saliere of Montecarlo, was born. The group was able to capitalize on mistakes made in the past and soon flourished opening four new restaurants in one year.

The future of the group is headed in two directions. On one hand, it will focus on keeping the formulas for its restaurants up to date looking for possible joint ventures with Asia and other European countries. The first step will be a liaison between Tuscany and Provence. The restaurant will be called "Medi" and it will feature a menu created by Ruggeri and the renowned chef Roger Vergé of Cannes. On the other hand, from a purely entrepreneurial standpoint, their intention is to create a large holding of international restaurants and to eventually offer an initial public offering and put the group up on the boards of the stock exchange. Roberto Ruggeri is still highly ambitious and certainly hasn't become complacent in his success. As he holds us in his interview, "So many of my peers lose sight of business and just take up golf. For me, getting a call to open a new restaurant in Indonesia is like fuel that recharges me, makes me younger and allows me to go forward, following my instincts…".

Penne all'Arrabiata $19.00
Penne with spicy tomato sauce.

Spaghettini alle Vongole con Aglio, Prezzemolo e Vino Bianco $25.00
Spaghetti with clams, garlic, parsley, and white wine.

Rigatoni con Melanzane, Pomodori e Ricotta Salata $22.00
Rigatoni with eggplant, tomatoes, and salted ricotta.

Farfalle con Salmone, Vodka, Asparagi e Salsa Rosa $23.00
Bow-tie pasta with salmon, asparagus, vodka, cream, and tomato sauce.

Linguine all'Aglio e Olio con Olive e Erbe Aromatiche $25.00
Linguini with garlic, olive oil, green olives, and fresh herbs.

Garganelli con Salsiccia Olio Aromatico al Rosmarino $25.00
Garganelli with sausage and rosemary oil.

* Fettuccine al Quattro Formaggi $25.00
Fettuccine with four cheese sauce.

* Maltagliati alla Matriciana $25.00
Maltagliati with crispy bacon, tomato, and onion sauce.

* Ravioli di Pesce al Filetto di Pomodoro e Pinoli e Pesce Spada $25.00
Seafood ravioli with swordfish, tomato, and pine nuts.

* Chitarrucci Freschi alla Bolognese $23.00
Fresh spaghetti with meat sauce.

* Cavatelli Casarecci al Pomodoro e Basilico $23.00
Cavatelli with tomato and basil.

* Pappardelle al Telefono $23.00
Large pasta ribbons in cream tomato sauce with mozzarella and basil.

* Ravioli della Massaia con Salsa di Funghi $23.00
Veal and spinach ravioli with a wild mushroom sauce.

* Tagliolini con Aragosta, Funghi Selvatici e Salsa di Pomodoro $25.00
Tagliolini with lobster meat, wild mushrooms, and tomato sauce.

* Orecchiette con Pomodori, Cime di Rape all'Aglio e Olio $22.00
Orecchiette pasta with tomatoes, broccoli rabe, garlic, and olive oil.

* Gnocchi alla Genovese con Pesto e Fagiolini $23.00
Potato and pumpkin gnocchi with French string beans and pesto sauce.

Risotto al Frutti di Mare $25.00
Risotto with seafood and tomato.

Risotto al Porcini con Salvia Fritta $25.00
Risotto with porcini mushrooms and fried sage.

Risotto Mantecato al Parmigiano e Agnello $25.00
Risotto with Parmesan and lamb.

Minestrone di Vegetali alla Milanese $8.00
Fresh vegetable soup, Milanese style.

Vellulata d'Aragosta con Polpa d'Aragosta e Cipollina $9.00
Lobster bisque with lobster meat and chives.

*Fresh pasta made daily.

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