Niko Romito, the Top Chef, Revolutionizes Gas Stations: ALT Will Grow with Eni

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We're almost there: just a few days left until the inauguration of the first restaurant under the "ALT Stazione del Gusto" project, a partnership between Enilive, a brand of Eni Sustainable Mobility, and the Accademia Niko Romito. It will happen on September 20th in Rome at the historic Eni service station on Viale America in EUR. But this is just the appetizer: there are plans for 100 openings in three years, starting with major Italian cities.

It was 2018, just five years ago, when the chef of one of the world's most important restaurants, Reale, opened the original ALT Stazione del Gusto in Castel di Sangro, along State Road 17, a "on the road" establishment open from morning till night, where you could savor his iconic products. In 2021, ALT Stazione del Gusto followed in Montesilvano, at the Enilive service station on Via Palmiro Togliatti.

It's an expanding dining format that brings the research and creativity developed at the pinnacle of the food pyramid to a wide audience. On the menu, Italian "street food" reinterpreted in a contemporary way, salads, meatballs, slices of seasoned bread, sweet and savory bombs. Above all, fried chicken, a classic rotisserie dish prepared with a modern, flavorful, and light concept: free-range chicken is marinated for a long time in a mix of aromas and spices, then fried whole and served with crispy potatoes. The bakery's bread and other products are also available for sale.

"For ALT, I envisioned a street dining model because the streets belong to everyone. I wanted to create a menu of popular cuisine with easily understandable dishes that have an almost domestic feel and a creative, quality approach. I've created what I myself would like to find when I travel for work: a menu that can satisfy travelers, motorcyclists, families passing through, those stopping for a business lunch in an informal atmosphere, or those who want to take away a snack, good bread, or fried chicken. ALT Stazione del Gusto has always been the embodiment of my research in a more democratic and cross-cutting way.

Today, this first opening in collaboration with Enilive represents the realization of a project idea that will give ALT Stazione del Gusto many more "homes." It's a project I believe in very much, one that will open up new business opportunities for young entrepreneurs and early-career chefs. Creating new jobs, providing careful and in-depth training, sharing values and vision is an important cultural and growth opportunity for me and the Accademia Niko Romito," says the renowned chef.

The new ALT locations will also be open from breakfast to dinner, offering takeaway options or dining at tables in an informal atmosphere, perhaps making the most of the forced break during a car refueling. There will be "flagship" points managed directly by Romito and a franchising plan based on well-defined management and training models, assured by the Accademia Niko Romito and aimed at a segment of motivated young entrepreneurs. The program will provide all franchisees with essential training in cooking, service, marketing, and communication, while Enilive will provide locations in strategic positions.