The Beeches: Adapting in the second hundred years

Necessity is the handmaiden of invention. — author unknown

ROME — On Dec. 12, 1901, Guglielmo Marconi received the first radio signal transmitted across the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, Frank Destito was on board a ship bound from Italy to New York City — final destination: Rome, N.Y.

Destito, who was newly married, followed his dream to come to America, the land of opportunity. Four years after his arrival, he brought his young wife, Michelina, and their children to join him. When the cobbler’s daughter arrived in America, she found her Rome house full of boarders, something her husband had forgotten to mention. Michelina cooked breakfast and created original dinner recipes, for which she charged the boarders a dime.

In 1908, building on the experience and reputation of the boarding house, the young couple opened the Savoy Restaurant in downtown Rome, named after the royal family of Italy. Noted for its five-cent schooners of beer, it was a success for more than four decades before the family decided to expand the business. In 1949, a newly married son, Pasquale, and his wife visited the estate of Dr. Frank M. Potter, the vice president of General Cable Corp., hoping to buy one of the cottages on the 52-acre property just north of the city. While his wife focused on acquiring a residence, Pasquale saw a business opportunity. Turning to his brothers Orlando and Rosario, the three convinced their mother that the estate could be become a restaurant.

The Destito family added The (Paul Revere) Lodge in 1955, renamed the Inn at The Beeches, and a 40,000-square-foot office building in 1985 that currently houses nine tenants. Over the decades, The Beeches Conference Center and the Inn on Turin Road have both been expanded and remodeled several times. The third generation runs the family business today: Orlando (Orrie), Frank, and Dominick. Christopher Destito, a partner in the family business, died on Jan. 21, 2010.

From its humble origins as a boarding operation, the Destito family “… now employs up to 140 area residents in-season, and the properties include 225,000 square feet of buildings, which are owned by the Destito Realty Co. [formed in 1989],” says Orrie Destito. “The business … [generates] between $10 [million] and $15 million [annually] … Our facilities include 70 guest rooms and seven, extended-stay suites plus three restaurants. Our banquet facility has 10 rooms and the capacity to seat 800 at one sitting. For decades, we grew with the community. Today our challenge is that the city is only half the size it was in the 1950s and the populace is less affluent. (The Rome census of 2012 counted 32,840 residents.) When we built the Inn in 1955, Rome had a lot of industry: Pettibone, General Cable, and Griffiss Air Force Base. The population shift has forced us to reach outside Rome [for business] and to diversify. We now draw weddings and conferences from up to 100 miles away and catering has become a growing part of our business.

The Beeches is also adapting to industry changes that have boosted competition.

“The hospitality industry has really changed,” says Destito. “There is a lot more competition from the fast-food and casual-dining industry. We also need to change the fact that The Beeches is a nine-month operation. The challenge is to attract more activity in the winter months. [Historically], the secret to our success has always been our ability to adapt and to come up with fresh ideas. We look upon hardships as just another challenge. Our parents taught us that complaining about a problem doesn’t … [fix] it. We need to constantly look for new trends and opportunities. For example, in 2010, once we had acquired a state liquor license, we created CD Food & Beverage Co. to provide alcohol to casino customers at Turning Stone.”

Embracing change

The Destitos have long been known for their creativity and for seeing opportunities.”Uncle Pat (Pasquale) was the Cecile B. DeMille of Rome,” asserts Orrie Destito. “We used to have toga parties at The Beeches, including chariot races on the grounds. He always had a creative spark to attract area residents to our facilities.” But creativity is not the only marketing strategy employed by the family. “We are refocusing on attracting more bus tours, something we … [initiated] in 1978. Also, the New York State snowmobile trail goes through our property. We are reaching out to groups from Rochester and Buffalo to join us at the Beeches for a three-day, snowmobile package. In addition, we are working with the new owners at the Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin to attract some of the downhill and cross-country skiers, tubers, and snowboarders to stay with us.”

The Destitos have also brought Jay Huggins in to beef up the marketing. Huggins, a native of Lee, Mass., came to Rome decades ago to work as the general manager of the local Friendly’s restaurant. He also managed Carmella’s Café in New Hartford before opening Teddy’s, a very popular, local, family restaurant, in Rome in 1990.  Huggins sold Teddy’s in 2005, and joined The Savoy on E. Dominick Street in 2009 as the general manager, before moving to The Beeches nine months ago.

“Jay has some great ideas,” Destito enthuses. “This is the year of big changes, from retooling the menus to [instituting] efficiencies. Jay’s job is to generate more business, to be aggressive in marketing. This means using a variety of promotional … [techniques], including social media to get the word out.” (The Beeches currently has more than 1,750 Facebook followers and relies heavily on Pinterest for promoting weddings.)

“Orrie has already mentioned our growing catering business,” says Huggins. “One of the trends … [propelling] our growth is barn weddings. To many, a barn is a magical setting for a wedding. You may … [instinctively] think of cows, dirt, paper plates, and hay, but a number of couples think a barn is eco-friendly, [chic], and budget-friendly. Area residents have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fixing up their barns to be attractive venues. It’s really a hot trend, and for us, it has been a real boost to our catering operation.”

Orrie Destito, a native of Rome, received his associate degree in mechanical-engineering technology from SUNY Canton and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern Colorado (now called Colorado State University–Pueblo). Wishing to obtain a masters degree, he instead returned home because his dad was ill. He joined the family business in 1978.

In additional to relying on its staff, The Beeches and The Savoy also utilize area professional services. “We have banked with NBT for years,” says Destito. “For legal services, we turn to the Getty Law Firm [in Rome] and Bond, Schoeneck & King [PLLC]. Our accounting is handled by D’Arcangelo [& Co., LLP].”

The Destitos are in their second century as restaurateurs. “We have seen the good times and the bad times, lifestyle changes, and the ups and down of the economy,” notes Orrie Destito.” But one thing hasn’t changed over the years — our customers’ loyalty. Our parents taught us to follow one basic lesson: Just take care of your customers and that path will lead to your success. But they taught us another lesson — the importance of family.” Every Sunday, the Destito clan gathers at the Savoy for brunch. “We often have 40 members of the family join together for Aunt Yolanda’s chicken cacciatore, Aunt Fannie’s fettucine, Uncle Pat’s zuppa di pesce, and Uncle Orrie’s baked ziti and sausage. It’s the glue that holds the family together.”

The Destitos’ story is an American story. They have lived the American dream here in the land of opportunity. It may not be long before the fourth generation joins the family tradition.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@cnybj.com