Once Ohio State graduate Lee Shadle decided he wanted to own a restaurant, he was unstoppable.
It took him a year to come up with a business plan, and despite not winning the $100,000 prize in a business plan competition at OSU, nothing could discourage the then 22-year-old Shadle from pursuing his dream.
Pesto Creative Italian Bistro opened in December 2005 at 14 E. 11th Ave. in the South Campus Gateway.
“I think I felt every single emotion possible on opening day,” Shadle said. “I was scared to death, excited, nauseous, you name it and I felt it. It was truly an incredible feeling when that first guest came walking in the door.”
Pesto is a fast-casual Italian restaurant with a contemporary atmosphere so customers can either dine in or carry out, Shadle said.
At Pesto, customers can chose what they want and how they want it with a made-to-order pasta, pizza, salad or sandwich. The restaurant also offers many flavors of gelato, Italian-style ice cream.
Shadle’s inspiration came from the restaurant Chipotle Mexican Grille.
“I loved the concept of simple, fresh, inexpensive food and I wanted to do an Italian version.” he said.
When he graduated in June 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in marketing, Shadle immediately looked for funding.
“There’s always some fire to put out,” he said. “The biggest problem was raising money.”
Although Shadle received some money from private investors, he still needed more. He was turned down twice by every bank in Columbus until two finally gave in, he said.
Shadle’s startup costs included concept development, menu development, a restaurant build out, restaurant equipment, furniture, interior design, architectural drawings and a number of other miscellaneous expenses.
He was originally going to name his restaurant Grazie, which is Italian for Thank you, but it was already being used by another restaurant, he said. After many days of searching and brainstorming he came up with Pesto.
“Pesto is a fresh, flavorful and premium sauce, and it really embodied everything I wanted the restaurant to convey,” Shadle said.
The restaurant recently changed its menu to include a wider variety of entrees that start at $4.49, he said.
Jason Stein, a senior in finance and accounting, who was recently dining at Pesto with his mother, said its quick and delicious, with just the right prices and an easily accessible location.
Shadle said he selected a space in the Gateway because he wanted to stay connected to OSU’s campus.
Columbus natives Beth Snapp and Melissa McComas said they eat at Pesto almost every other day and walk half a mile to get there.
“They know our names here,” McComas said.
Sydney Sevdalis, a junior in communication and Spanish, was equally enthusiastic.
“I really like the food,” she said. “It’s also really nice, clean and modern looking.”
Although Shadle hasn’t made his investment back yet, he said he is working everyday to open up a new store and start franchising.
“We have come a long way since we opened,” Shadle said. “I’m just looking forward to building more Pestos.”
Diana Norwood can be reached at [email protected].
