An authentic Italian fast-casual concept is preparing to open a second location in Berkeley Heights.
Boschetto, founded in 2022 by Robert Spina, Michelin-starred chef Joey Sergentakis and Ryan Held, is set to debut at The District at The Park. The new location will join the brand’s flagship restaurant in Montclair.
The Park is a “destination neighborhood” featuring public parks, a hotel, and a mix of entertainment, dining, retail and wellness concepts, along with RT Workspaces, New Jersey’s first work resort.
The trio and lifelong friends are no strangers to the restaurant industry, with a combined 50 years of experience.
“In 2008, due to the financial crisis, I moved to Hong Kong. I opened my first restaurant called Posto Pubblico. It was a New York-style Italian restaurant based on my grandfather’s recipes. That’s actually where I also met chef Joey. He was running Cafe Grey, where he earned his Michelin star,” Spina told What Now Philadelphia.
After returning to the United States, Spina served as director of operations at Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer, where he helped expand the brand’s footprint.
“Fast forward to 2022, my brother-in-law and I joined forces. I’ve known him since we were kids. I said to him, ‘I know the guy who should be our chef,’ and Boschetto’s was born through the three of us,” he said.
When developing the restaurant, the trio drew inspiration from New York restaurateur Daniel Meyer, author of Setting the Table. The memoir shares his philosophy on hospitality and building successful restaurants through a strong culture of service and guest experience.
“I’d noticed a lot of trends in the business moving toward fast casual, but nobody was doing it with our level of food. Nobody was doing it with chef Joey’s expertise,” Spina said. “We thought, who wrote the rule that said we can’t serve Michelin-level Italian food over the counter? Who wrote the rule that says a fast casual restaurant has to look like a cafeteria?”
From the start, the Montclair location was a success, which Spina said came as a surprise since they were unsure how people would respond to the concept.
“The community really flocked to us and embraced it. It struck a chord with many of our target audience—the young affluent family who’s left Manhattan, who’s left Brooklyn and requires something more sophisticated but the kids can still get a pizza,” he said.
As a result, they kept expansion in the back of their minds as demand continued to grow.
“We realized that our concept proof restaurant, which only had a little over 1,400 square feet, had a lot more demand than we could handle in one restaurant. We started thinking about what the next vision could be,” Spina said. “We designed Boschetto to scale. Everything you look, feel, touch, smell is designed to be replicated and recognizable as a brand.”
The new Berkeley Heights location will be more than twice the size of the Montclair space, spanning 3,600 square feet and accommodating up to 100 guests. It will also allow for larger parties, addressing a challenge at the original location.
The menu will remain consistent, with Spina stating, “we want people to walk into a Boschetto and have our signature dishes and tasting.”
Boschetto offers authentic fare featuring shareable plates, salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, calzones and main dishes. The main dishes include “Maiale Milanese” with seasonal fruit, prosciutto, arugula and balsamic; “Risotto Cioppino” with clams, mussels and shrimp; and “Bistecca,” a ribeye with salsa verde, rosemary and lemon.
Spina looks forward to expanding the brand into the mixed-use development.
“I’m most excited to see how our brand evolves and how it evolves in this mix. The property that we’re going into is incredibly unique. It’s so forward-thinking. It’s very hospitality-focused,” he said.
The goal is to open Boschetto this fall. Visit the website and follow along on Instagram for the latest updates.
