In Italian, gi… pronto means "already ready."
And next week it will be.
College and Wharton graduate Marco Lentini anticipates the opening of Gi… Pronto -- his new cafe serving all-natural panini, wraps, salads and coffee -- to take place next weekend.
Gi… Pronto is filling the vacancy left by Steve and Barry's University Sportswear, a shop that specialized in Penn-insignia products, on Spruce Street between 37th and 38th streets.
Director of Retail Development Lisa Prasad said there were a number of other potential tenants, and that Gi… Pronto was chosen because it is considered congruent with the University's overall retail strategy.
"I think the cafe will be perfect," Prasad said. "It will draw more people to Stouffer [Triangle] and it is so close to the" Quadrangle.
She added that since Lentini is a former Penn student, he "understands campus and the community and knows what students are looking for."
Lentini is indeed well connected to Penn. A member of the College Class of 1996, he holds an undergraduate degree in international relations and Italian studies with an economics minor. After working for four years in investment banking, Lentini returned to Penn, obtaining his MBA from Wharton in 2002.
Beyond his own six years of education here, his mother worked at the University for 30 years. Lentini's sister Jessica, who also attended Penn as an undergraduate, is a primary shareholder in his company, Avanti Food Corporation, and even inspired Gi… Pronto's menu with her affinity for nutrition and fitness.
For Lentini, then, Penn is like his "second home," he said.
But it was during his time away from campus that Lentini began to toy with the idea of entering the food business.
While working for Deutsche Bank Capital Partners in London, Lentini started to seriously consider opening a cafe. During his time there, he often felt he spent more time in cafes visiting with clients than doing business in a traditional setting.
"I have a notebook filled with notes I took after visiting different cafes in Europe," Lentini said.
Lentini admits it has been "hard to give up a six-figure salary," which he earned as an investment banker, but that he is now involved with something he has a passion for.
According to Lentini, most of his second year as a Wharton graduate student was spent planning and preparing the opening of Gi… Pronto. It may be more appropriate to say, however, that Lentini has been preparing to enter the food industry his whole life.
For Lentini, food preparation is in his blood.
"I come from an Italian family," Lentini said. "Food was part of growing up."
Lentini attributes his passion for cooking to his mother and grandmother.
His business model, though, combines the operational model of Starbucks with the current all-natural food craze that has made Whole Foods and Trader Joe's grocery stores so successful.
Lentini sees his concept working best in business districts, upscale retail establishments and certain university settings.
Penn, he said, is one such campus.
"I hope to attract a large student component," Lentini said, noting that his sandwich prices will be competitive with those of Cosi and his salads comparable to Saladworks.
"We really differentiate ourselves from other concepts," Lentini said. "No one else has our same food philosophy. Our model caters both to grab-and-go and leisure customers."
The Spruce restaurant strip has seen much commercial turn-over in the past few years. Lentini attributes this to flaws in the establishments' approach to customer service.
"A business' goal is to add value to the customer so that the customer feels that they got more than what they paid for," he said. Businesses that do not provide this "bright spot in someone's day" will fail.
Other food and beverage providers said they don't feel threatened by the cafe's opening.
"I look at campus as an area of unlimited potential," Saladworks manager Nirav Vyas said. "If you look down the street, there are several Chinese food cart trucks right next to each other, and they do phenomenal business."
Vyas added that the opening could positively affect Saladwork's business by attracting more people to the strip.
University representatives are not worried about Gi… Pronto taking business away from on-campus food services such as Au Bon Pain, either.
"We think that the retail market is quite large and there is plenty of room for many different types of food providers," Contract and Relationship Manager for Campus Dining Services Laurie Cousart said.
Vyas agreed, saying "competition is good for any business," but added that he thinks his store will continue to be solvent due in part to its established brand name.
