After three decades in the industry, Aldo Disorbo says his future may hold more cultural endeavors than his past. Today, this moving industry veteran speaks with A Gathering of Experts about his plans to open an Italian restaurant when he retires from Moving Squad.
A Gathering of Experts: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.
Aldo Disorbo: My pleasure.
A Gathering of Experts: Can you tell us a bit about your business?
Aldo Disorbo: I own a company called Moving Squad. We are based in Fort Lauderdale. We offer local moving services at an affordable price.
A Gathering of Experts: You have been a major player in the moving industry for nearly 30 years. Why might you want to change career paths at this point?
Aldo Disorbo: I have always identified strongly with my Italian heritage. And, I love to cook. I think that opening my own Italian diner/bistro would be a dream come true. I’m not ready to retire from moving just yet, just thinking ahead.
A Gathering of Experts: That is a significant transition.
Aldo Disorbo: Not really. There are many similarities, I think, between the two industries.
A Gathering of Experts: How so?
Aldo Disorbo: When you own a moving company—or any business really—you have to organize people, places and things. You have to make sure that everything fits together like a well-oiled machine.
A Gathering of Experts: Like a restaurant’s wait staff, chefs and servers must work together to create happy customers?
Aldo Disorbo: Exactly—if any part of the dining experience is unpleasant, a meal can be ruined.
A Gathering of Experts: And so it goes with the moving industry?
Aldo Disorbo: At Moving Squad, we have sales staff, customer service reps, and movers. A deficiency in any of these departments reflects poorly on the entire company, effectively leaving a bad taste in the mouths of our customers.
A Gathering of Experts: Do you like to cook?
Aldo Disorbo: I’m Italian; of course I like to cook!
A Gathering of Experts: What are some of your favorite Italian dishes?
Aldo Disorbo: I don’t know that I could pinpoint just a few.
A Gathering of Experts: Italy is known mostly for pasta—let’s talk about lesser-known indigenous dishes. What does a typical Italian breakfast consist of?
Aldo Disorbo: Like many European countries, breakfast is usually served continental-style.
A Gathering of Experts: Like a hotel?
Aldo Disorbo: Not exactly. Italian breakfast is usually homemade and consists of café latte and buttered bread or rolls. Most coffee shops serve simple pastries, though cereals and yogurts are becoming more common.
A Gathering of Experts: What is the largest meal of the day?
Aldo Disorbo: In Italian culture it’s usually lunch. Europeans typically make lunch a more intimate affair than Americans. Pranzo (the midday meal) usually lasts at least an hour and a half and consist of several different courses.
A Gathering of Experts: How is that adapted for American culture?
Aldo Disorbo: For a restaurant, I would shorten the dining options to a simple salad and bread sticks with a small main course of pasta. One popular pre-meal food in Italy is finger sandwiches. You could also serve these as an entrée.
A Gathering of Experts: It seems that Italian food is more formal overall than what we have here in Western society.
Aldo Disorbo: Yes, but coming from a large Italian family, I can tell you that there’s nothing in the world that helps families bond like sitting down over a well-prepared meal. That is one reason that I want to open my own restaurant when I leave the moving business.
A Gathering of Experts: If you run your restaurant the way that you operate your moving services companies, you will no doubt be quite successful.
Aldo Disorbo: I appreciate the vote of confidence and I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge.
A Gathering of Experts: In a few more years we may look back on your many successes as evidence that you don’t have to stick with what you’re comfortable with.
Aldo Disorbo: I certainly hope so.
A Gathering of Experts: That’s all the time that we have for today. Thank you for chatting with us.
Aldo Disorbo: My pleasure.
Aldo Disorbo has spent the last two and a half decades building a clientele throughout southern Florida. Since his early days hauling friends’ and neighbors’ household goods in an old truck, Aldo Disorbo has made customer service his No. 1 priority. For more information, visit movingsquad.com.