THE founder of a famous Glasgow restaurant which brought a historic landmark building back to life has reflected on his decision to sell the business and on the highs and lows of his 50 years in the hospitality sector inMarco Giannasi told our sister title The Herald in an exclusive interview last week that he had “no regrets” over his decision to sell the Battlefield Rest business.
Commenting on his move to Scotland to take over the running of L’ariosto on Mitchell Street, Mr Giannasi said: “It was really a shock to the system because I wasn’tThe Battlefield Rest opened on October 22, 1994. The restaurant notes on its website that its premises, dating back to 1914, were “originally used as a resting and courting place for tram travellers”.
“It was such an excitement when I realised I could actually purchase the building I’d been passing [for] four-and-a-half years before and was getting increasingly dilapidated. Every day, it was getting worse and worse and worse.” On whether the working dynamic for him at the Battlefield Rest was much as it was previously, Mr Giannasi said: “Alex has got a very good nature. I think we are working together so far as a team. We are really [like] father and son – that type of relationship. We slag each other, we joke. I call him ‘mini-me’.”
Amid redevelopment, he had then relocated to Mitchell Street in the early-1970s, where he took over premises and founded L’ariosto, undertaking a major redevelopment and ordering furniture from Italy.