Interview with Carmine Lonardo, manager
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: My dad opened the first Carmine Lonardo’s in Lakewood in 1978. When he first started, he was a butcher at a packing house, and he opened the Lakewood location when the packing house closed. I was probably about 14 years old at the time. And then me, my brother and my two sisters all worked there. I went to college and decided that I’d rather work in the stores. We opened the Aurora location in 1993, and that’s typically where I run the day-to-day operations.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Probably our Italian sausage. That’s what we specialize in. There’s no other way to describe it other than to say that when you taste our Italian sausage, you always want one more bite. My dad kind of made it famous in Colorado. We sell it to 200 restaurants around Denver. Also, our customer service. When you come in here, you don’t just grab your food and walk out, it always comes with harassment. I get to harass everyone who comes in here (in a friendly way).
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I get to talk to different people all the time, and every day is a different day with new experiences. My wife described it best when she said that we come home every night and talk about the different customers who came into the store and what they had to say and what they were like. To me, it’s fun and enjoyable.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Getting new people to come in and finding new customers. I’m pretty old-fashioned and I don’t keep up with a lot of the new technology, so it’s hard to get the word out about our store. Trying to let people know where you’re at and trying to keep up with the technology is always a challenge.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: I try to make everyone who comes through the door happy. I don’t like routine business stuff. I want people to come in and have fun. You’re not just going to come in here, spend two minutes and walk out. We have to talk a little bit. It’s a place where friends meet. I think a lot of people don’t know that we’re a full meat market in addition to doing deli sandwiches. We butcher the meat right in front of you, and we have everything from steaks to pork chops.
Profile
Business: Carmine Lonardo’s Meat Market and Italian Deli
Address: 15380 E. Smoky Hill Road
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Founded: 1993
Contact: 303-699-4532, carminesitaliandeli.com
Employees: 6
