Built to last 50 years: How Lagrandissima is growing a trattoria into a group.

Old formats, built to last

Davide Esposito and his partners opened Osteria Lagrandissima in 2022, modelled on the historic trattorie of northern Italy, the ones still open after 40 or 60 years. "They're still there because they have a set of qualities," he says. "We try to bring those qualities into the city, with today's attention to detail."

This year they opened Portland in Città Studi. It's a tavola calda that does the same for the classic Italian bar: cornetti made in-house for breakfast, fresh pasta at lunch. Portland is also the group's production kitchen and makes the Osteria's fresh pasta.

The goal behind both is the same. "We want to create places that will still make sense in 50 years," Davide says.

The challenges of growing

A restaurant built to last also has to be able to grow. That's where things get complicated.

• Too many systems. The till, card payments and reservations were separate products with separate bills. "It was a package that grew over time," Davide says, "including in cost."

• Italian tax rules. Every receipt and invoice has to reach the tax authority correctly. When something goes wrong, the owner has to fix it. "Even when you want to pay to sort it out, it's hard to close it quickly."

• More venues. A second venue with its own kitchen, making food for the first, and needing separate figures.

• A big cellar. More than 900 wines, and a lot of money sitting in stock.

Each new venue could have meant another system, another contract and another login. They decided it wouldn't.

A second venue, same account

Lagrandissima was one of the first restaurants in Milan to move to Tebi. The till, payments and reservations all run on one connected system.

When Portland opened, it was added to the same account as a second cost centre. It didn't need a new system, contract or login.

"With Tebi, I have everything in front of me for both locations. Soon there will be three, all under the same roof, in the same app."

He switches between venues, downloads the reports he needs and uses them to see what each one earns and where profits are not high enough. He calls the reporting "excellent."

Growing into a group? See how Tebi works across multiple venues →

One partner, a lower bill

Davide estimates they're spending 40–50% less on their systems than before, and paying less in card fees. The banks still call to win back the card terminal. He isn't moving.

"The idea of changing POS system today is pure madness. I want one view of everything, and above all one partner."

A trattoria lunch, a breakfast counter and a party in the garden don't run the same way. Davide says that flexibility is one of the reasons Tebi works for them.

"Versatility is very important with Tebi," he says. "We can change the format." For events, such as a DJ set on the group's birthday or a street-food night with friends from other restaurants, they don't seat guests at tables. They set up a till station outside in the garden and keep serving from there.

Same system, same menu items, same reports. The only thing that changes is where the till is.

"I see Tebi grow, as we grow"

Davide has recommended Tebi to other owners in Milan. "For me, it's the best system for running things quickly," he says. "Fast, easy to understand, and there's a team behind it that really listens and understands the problems restaurants face in Italy."

"It's the most complete system I've worked with. And I see it growing."

Add your next venue as a new cost centre on the same account. Same login, same reports, same partner. Book a 20-minute demo

About Lagrandissima

Osteria Lagrandissima is a trattoria in north-east Milan, known for whole-animal cooking and a cellar of 900+ natural wines, and has received Gambero Rosso's Tre Gamberi four years running. Portland, its tavola calda in Città Studi, serves Italian breakfast, fresh pasta at lunch and aperitivo, and makes the fresh pasta for the Osteria.