It is always hard to say good-bye to friends and customers of a thriving business you have nurtured, but Federico Fanelli sadly announces he has been forced to sell his restaurant, Italy Bottega. “I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all my customers and did not want to just disappear without any explanation.”
Unlike other restaurant owners who did not manage their finances well or failed to pay taxes, Italy Bottega was very successful and had a loyal following. “Eighty to ninety percent of my customers live in the area year-round, and many had an Italian ancestry or have traveled to Italy,” Fanelli reports. “What caused me to close was an incident with a delivery truck.”
On the morning of August 26, 2023, a truck from one of the largest food delivery companies in Florida hit an overhead power line on Baum Avenue North, which ripped out Italy Bottega’s main electric panel that almost caught on fire. Fanelli filed an insurance claim against them, but their insurance company determined the power line was hanging lower than what is required by Florida law. So a claim was also filed against the electric company. Now both parties are blaming each other, and meanwhile Fanelli had to close for 14 days, and it took another 14 days to ramp up again.
“I had all my refrigerated and frozen food that had to be thrown out, a cleaning service had to be hired, and I lost many of my employees since they could not wait that long to reopen with their own bills to pay,” says Fanelli. “I also had to pay for the electric repairs out of my own pocket. I had some savings but this completely destroyed my cash flow. I tried with all my strength to keep things going, but in the end I knew I had to sell.” The Law Firm of Douglas G. Jackson is now handling the case, and Fanelli is very hopeful he will be able to get a positive outcome.
The restaurant’s last day was Sunday January 28th, 2024 when a farewell get together took place.
A Farewell to the USA as Well
Fanelli was in the U.S. on a temporary work Visa as “Treaty Investor,” and now that he sold his restaurant he lost his residency and he has to go back to Italy. But he remains hopeful that after all the insurance matters are settled he can return to St. Pete and open an even better restaurant. “I have an 11 foot map of Italy in the dining area, and everyone enjoyed talking about the places they have visited or where their families came from,” Fanelli recalls.
“When I came to the United States from Italy in 2016, I settled in Miami and opened a very successful deli. But I decided it was not the city for me and moved to St. Pete and opened Italy Bottega in 2019. I fell in love with the people, the atmosphere and the energy of the area and made many good friends.
“I always invited customers to come in for ‘food, wine and soul’ and truly believe that you can experience the heart and soul of a business. I want to say a sincere thank you to my excellent crew that helped me during these past tough months: Chef Daniel Rabice and Lead Server Benjamin Miller. And to all my customers who supported me these past five years, I say ‘thank you and arrivederci,’ till we meet again.”
