Buon Giorno Ristorante Italiano

One of the longest standing eateries in the city, Buon Giorno Ristorante Italiano has been a Calgary dining institution since it first opened in 1987. After operating under the ownership of the late Gabriele Battistessa for many years, Buon Giorno was acquired by veteran Calgary restauranteur Claudio Carnali in June 2016. A veteran Calgary restaurant entrepreneur, Claudio has worked at and owned many eateries over the years – including the now defunct Il Gallo Nero Bar and Grill, which was lost to the 2013 floods. That incident led Claudio to leave the dining industry.

He didn’t intend to return to the business, but he jumped at the chance to take on Buon Giorno. He brought his son Michael on board as the new general manager and dove head first back into his passion. “I never thought I was going to be in the restaurant business again. I was actually retired. But then this restaurant came up and I checked the numbers and stuff like that and decided to take it over,” he explains.

Claudio first got his foot in the hospitality industry working for his uncle, who owned two small hotels in downtown Rome. Claudio eventually became a police officer in Italy but decided to pursue a different avenue when he moved to Canada. He started as a busboy at the now shuttered Mamma’s Ristorante, and eventually learned the ins and outs of waiting and bartending. He went on to open up Da Paolo Ristorante as a co-owner, later opening Il Gallo Nero Bar and Grill as his first completely solo venture.