Brick Oven: Good food, good times

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Reporter

Brick Oven General Manager Nick Manzare has a passion for pleasing people’s palates.

He says for him, it’s in the details: good food and attractive presentation are high on the list. Also important, he said, is knowing and responding to people’s taste, and being there to provide a satisfying meal when customers are too tired to cook at home.

About a dozen years ago, as the restaurant grew its customer base, it moved from its plaza location behind M&T Bank to its current location at 2457 Grand Island Blvd.

The restaurant’s website stresses, “We have a large selection to choose from that will fit your party's needs. Pizzas, sandwiches, salads, appetizers and more. Taste the best pizza around.”

Manzare also is pleased the restaurant offers gluten-free options such as cauliflower pizza crust. His personal favorite is a turkey sandwich.

Although only 40, Manzare has been in the restaurant business for more than a decade. He returned to the Western New York area and found his calling.

“I was in the casino business. I was dealing cards. I was a pit boss – all the things,” Manzare said. “But circumstances – I had to move back home, but I didn’t want to work at our casino here. So, I needed a job.

Brick Oven owner Michael Wilke invited Manzare to join the team.

“He said, ‘Come to my Grand Island location and I’ll take care of you.’ Fourteen years later, here I am,” Manzare said.

He said he enjoys being in the food business: “I think I’m just natural for it. When I was 14, my first job was in a pizzeria. I think I’m one of the lucky ones that got to move up the ladder. If you’re just a regular cook, it’s a hard wage to make. You get up where I’m at, it’s nice to have a little comfort – make my own schedule, be my own boss.”

He said he said he is fortunate to be working for Wilke.

“Best boss I could have,” Manzare said. “I don’t know who and how people know him, but you really know him. He’s got the biggest heart. He’s such a giver.”

Sabres sparked early preview of summer season

Manzare said there has been a special preview of what the summer season has in store for the restaurant.

“We’ve actually had a sneak peek of how business has been ramping up with the Sabres in the playoffs,” he said. “I think it’s probably true for every restaurant.

“It’s during maybe January to March, it’s slow. And then we have to cut staff and payroll and try to stay afloat. And then once we start ramping up, we’ve gotten so big – this is a new addition in here,” he said, gesturing to the restaurant’s new glassed-in patio with its elegant, yet welcoming vibe. The patio is in its first full year. Its construction was helped along with a $40,000 storefront revitalization grant from Erie County.

“We’ve made more seating available in the back,” Manzare explained. He said takeout is a thriving part of the business, as well.

The growth of Brick Oven presents challenges and benefits, Manzare said: “Being busy is what keeps a roof over my head.

“What kind of stinks is that Fantasy Island is not opening up.”

He said there will be a loss in the tourist component of the customer base, but he expects the eatery will easily make it up in new customers.

Michael Wilke and Nick Manzare. (Photo by Karen Carr Keefe)

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Quality and convenience grows the business

“I do believe what is proven time and time again: Food costs for us as a business, and for the consumer is insane,” Manzare said. “I think it’s unfair for everybody. So, our No. 1 goal is to be as consistent as possible with the quality we put out there. And I think quality is what keeps people coming.”

“Nowadays, people don’t really cook at home,” he observed. “It feels like the culture back when I was growing up, my mom would cook. Takeout was special. A pizza on a Friday night was like, ‘Woo-hoo!’ or maybe once in a while getting drive-thru at McDonald’s. Nowadays, it’s quick, it’s convenience. We’re not trying to make a mess at home; we’re not trying to cook at home.”

He said the fact that people are always so busy is a big factor driving the trend toward takeout. He added cooking at home isn’t necessarily providing the savings that it used to.

“You’ve got to cook; you’ve got to clean – by the time it’s done … the food’s all gone. It’s like, ‘I’d rather just order the food and cut out half the hassle,’ ” Manzare said.

He said the quality of Brick Oven’s food builds a loyal customer base, whether it’s dine-in or takeout.

Building a strong staff is important

Although he’s the manager, Manzare makes sure to maintain the skills that got him where he is today.

“A lot of customers will ask if I’m cooking,” he said. “I’ve cooked this entire time.”

He combines his culinary skills with duties such as scheduling, inventory and delegating staff to take on other responsibilities and grow in the job. “The one thing that I was always good at was handling pressure at high volume.”

“We built an amazing staff,” he said.

He also enjoys meeting and greeting customers, calling himself a people person. Manzare is also happy he was able to bring his brother, Rocco, into the business as an “under boss.” He also credits the skills of Dean Barrone as another manager who reports to him.

“Without them, honestly – they’re reliable, they’re consistent and they’re hard-working. If you don’t have the people, it’s impossible to do what we do here.”

Manzare said a big component of success in the restaurant business is having the right people.

Family experience helps in customer service

“I like to hire kids in the community,” he said. “I needed a first job once, and I remember the older guys taking me under their wing.”

He said he has developed empathy toward customers from his role as father.

Manzare has a daughter who is 16 and a son, 11, who is autistic and non-verbal.

“Raising him has made me such a better man,” Manzare said. “He has changed me in ways of – maybe it’s empathy, awareness for the world around me. You don’t really understand, looking at somebody, what they’re really going through. Raising my son from what he’s gone through has been something I never knew would happen in my life.”

He said the experience has given him a better understanding of what other people go through.

“My son struggled, and to see and the fight that we did to get him to where he is today,” is a big part of Manzare’s attitude toward others, he said.

“I’m going to be the best dad version of myself … he deserves that,” Manzare said.

Manzare noted that, although his son is autistic, he has taught his dad to relate to all people in a meaningful way: “I never knew I had it in me to be that aware.”

Manzare said that awareness has helped him to manage the restaurant’s 100 employees.

 Manzare said he has worked to build a better culture at the restaurant – one that welcomes families, as well as diners on dates or friends getting together for a good time.

“You take care of people, they’re going to take care of you,” Manzare said.

For hours and menu, visit https://brickovengi.com/.