A Toast to Using Creativity to Fight Food Waste and Duck-Like Elegance with Brittney Gonzalez of Macchialina

Macchialina brings sophisticated, rustic Italian cooking to Miami Beach, combining the heart and soul of Italy with the upbeat community of Miami. Since their founding in 2012, co-owners Michael Pirolo, Jacqueline Pirolo and Jennifer Chaefsky have built a community-oriented restaurant that’s a favorite of critics and neighborhood locals alike. As a leader in the industry — beyond recognition from both James Beard and the Michelin Guide — Macchialina also recognizes the importance of their impact on the environment.

One way they're doing their part is by utilizing Toast’s recently announced integration tool with Food Rescue US; through DonorLink, they’re able to continue to foster creative ways of reducing food waste in their business, while giving back in the process. With just two pickups, they were able to provide 25 meals to Miami Rescue Mission using the surplus food they donated through Toast’s Food Waste Feature — and that’s only in two weeks in the program.

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses get busy, run busy, and stay busy. The "Toast to…" series celebrates the people at the heart of those businesses and their communities, and the hard work and dedication it takes to get there. We sat down with Macchialina’s Floor Manager, Brittney Gonzalez, to talk about the importance of being a go-getter in hospitality, how to minimize food waste while flexing your creative muscles, and why thinking about yourself as a duck gliding across a lake is helpful during busy days.

Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My name is Brittney, and I’ve been working in restaurants since I was 15. My first job in the industry was as a hostess. As I grew up, I tried different jobs, essentially being in every front of house position from food running and expo to cashier, server, and bartender. At 29 years old, I’m now managing.

That’s incredible. Tell me more about Macchialina, too.

I’ve been with Macchialina for four years and managing for about a year. I’m one of the floor managers, and the bar manager as well. With Jacqueline Pirolo, the sommelier and one of the co-owners of Macchialina, I help oversee the beverage program and make sure things are done to her standards when she’s not here.

What does an average day, as much as there is one, look like for you?

I always say to people who haven’t been in management or leadership previously that it’s surprising how much of my job involves computer and admin work. A lot of that work is making sure I’m updating my planner, crossing things off my checklist, and keeping my deadlines organized. I also want to make sure that my “kiddos,” as I call them, are getting the adequate help and support they need and doing what they’re supposed to be doing while I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Generally, it’s all about making sure that all of those channels of communication are flowing. Other than my checklists and planners, it’s always a bit different; it’s the restaurant industry, after all! There are so many surprises that come at you every day, and it’s kind of fun to take on the challenge of a new day.

Credit: Jacob Edenfield

You mentioned how much computer and admin work is a part of your job; can you share more about how you use technology at work?

Toast is such a user-friendly platform; everything’s laid out for you. There’s lots I use it for, including managing employee clock-ins, managing the menus, and inputting specials and wines, which is especially helpful for us since we change the beverage menu weekly and sometimes change the food menu every one to two weeks. Toast puts everything in one uniform place, and it’s so easy to navigate and find what I need, whether it’s creating a temporary floor plan for a buyout, or removing buttons. Toast gives me the organization I need to do things in one uniform place, and in the process, it makes my life a little easier. The kind of applications and tools I like are those where it takes me two seconds to do something and get it done: that’s what Toast is like.

With that in mind, what’s the hardest part about your job? And what’s the most rewarding?

Coming from being a tipped employee at Macchialina to being promoted within management, one of the most difficult parts was the transition. It was important to understand that the people I previously worked with were no longer my colleagues, and instead I had to lead. There was a different degree of professionalism: they could vent to me as their friend, but I was going to respond as their leader. Understanding that dynamic and relationship switch was one of the most difficult transitions that I experienced. 

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is the guests. I’ve had the pleasure of building such great relationships with a lot of our regulars; I’ve seen them come in with their newborn babies and given them a Macchialina onesie that the baby then comes in and wears on their next visit. I also love just helping someone who had a rough day find a good bottle of wine that turns their day around. That’s what hospitality is about: understanding that people have bad days, but I can come in and make it better. And in the process, it  also brings people together. So the most rewarding parts of my job are when I get to interact with my guests and show up and show out for them, making them grateful that they’re spending their hard money here and making it worth their while.

How do you all think about sustainability and food waste at Macchialina?

We’re big on not wasting food. Our philosophy is that if we can’t make it here, we’ll locally source our food, but we’ll use everything we have in the kitchen to make new things, whether it’s a new special or a complimentary bite. We work to incorporate all of our ingredients, and stay mindful and cautious about food waste. You can always look at it from a business standpoint because it costs money, but at the end of the day, from a service or guest standpoint, why not offer it to our guests? Even if it’s just a one day thing, who cares?

Credit: RC Visuals

How has Toast’s integration with Food Rescue US helped you address food waste?

We’ve always been incredibly aware of the importance of not wasting food, and the integration has made that even more possible for us. Sometimes, there are things we can’t use at Macchialina. And if we can’t use them, we should be giving them to someone else who can. 

What advice do you have for others who are looking to address food waste in the industry?

I always say, even if it’s a gift or product purchased for a specific event, just use it. Make a brand new cocktail of the week or a special of the day with it. There are so many avenues where you can reduce food waste by coming up with something even for a night and allowing your creativity to flow. You’re making the same dishes each day, and depending where you work, you might be following a flow or recipe and not changing anything. Being cognizant of food waste allows you to be a little creative and remember the spark that put you in the kitchen in the first place. Just the joy of having someone come in and try something new and love it is so exciting. I always say the best way to approach eliminating food waste is to ask what you can do with your ingredients and where you can shine with them. Can I make an antipasti? An entree? A pasta? Just allow yourself to be creative again and reactivate that part of your brain to think about what we can do rather than throwing it away. You could even make something fun for family meal, even if it doesn’t go on the menu.

What’s your favorite thing to eat at Macchialina?

I eat everything at Macchialina with a flavor profile combination. My favorite protein by far is the veal milanese. I love to pair that with spaghetti aglio e olio, or if I’m feeling something more light and easy, a spaghetti pomodoro with burrata to thicken the sauce. Sometimes, I even pair it with a cacio e pepe if I want something a little more hearty.

Credit: Liz Clayman

We always say that in hospitality being busy is a badge of honor, rather than a burden. How do you handle your busiest moments at Macchialina?

The best analogy I got from one of my former colleagues is that you want to think about yourself as a cute duck in a lake: you’re calm, you’re focused,  you look so elegant as you glide across the water, and meanwhile under the water, your feet are paddling as fast as they can. In our busiest moments, the best people to work with and for amidst the chaos of hospitality are those who look as if nothing happened and everything’s fine, and are able to stay cool, calm, and collected. It’s about taking things one step at a time and telling others that if you’re not stressed, they don’t need to be stressed, either. It’s hospitality; things get weird sometimes!! But by taking things one step at a time and tackling them that way, I don’t look stressed, the guests don’t see me being stressed, and those around me shouldn’t be stressed either.

Who in the industry would you like to toast? 

I’ve gotta shout out Jacqueline Pirolo. She cultivated a love for hospitality in me that I might have been in denial about. I really thought I didn’t want to go back to hospitality even though I was really good at it. But she’s fostered a community of leaders who cultivated the love that I have for hospitality and for Italian cuisine and wine. She helped me grow that and nurture it. I will always give Jackie her flowers because it’s her and her brother's vision and dream that I’m able to be a part of and so grateful for. Because of her, I’m able to be in a position where I can talk to you all about the restaurant and bleed the brand that is Macchialina, so a big Toast to her for that.

Credit: Brittney Gonzalez

What are you Toast-ing with today? 

Coffee. Always coffee.