Peter Botros, Bread and Butter Hospitality Group
By Dominic Provenzano, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
With more than ten restaurants in his portfolio, Chef Peter Botros serves thousands of meals to Staten Islanders– each with a large helping of community service.
Bread & Butter Hospitality, a restaurant group founded by Botros in 2014, oversees The Stone House at Clove Lakes, Violette’s Cellar, Sofia’s Taqueria, Sofia’s Guac Bar, Sally’s Southern & BBQ, Sally’s Smokehouse, Rustic Pizza and Pasteria, and Blue Pearl. The restaurant group also has a growing presence in New Jersey and the greater New York State area.
Botros began his career in the hospitality industry at thirteen years old and continued well throughout his college years, working waiter, deli, and cooking positions at both existing and fondly-remembered Staten Island staples like Miggy’s Supermarket, South Fin Grill, PepperJack Grill, Panini Grill, and even Domino’s Pizza.
In his twenties, Botros left the restaurant and hospitality industry behind. “I got my degree in Entrepreneurial Studies and got a Masters Degree as a double major in marketing and finance,” recalls Botros. “When I graduated, I briefly left the industry to become a mortgage banker. I had some success, but to be honest, I really didn’t love it.”
However, soon after Botros received news that would reshape his life. At 26 years old, he was diagnosed with breast cancer. Botros was already very familiar with the disease, as nine years earlier, his mother, Violette, passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. Following the loss of his mother, Botros sought aggressive medical treatment and, in his words, “kicked cancer’s ass.”
Botros’ victory over breast cancer set the stage for the next chapter of his life. “The restaurant industry was something I loved and was passionate about,” says Botros. “I knew in my heart I would find my way back to it at some point and, after the health scare, an opportunity arose to get back in. I took it.”
That opportunity was the former Lake Club, now The Stone House at Clove Lakes. “There was an opportunity to revamp the place, to breathe more life into it,” reminisces Botros. “One thing led to another, and the Stone House became a success, which led to the creation of Bread & Butter Hospitality. Now we’re one of the largest restaurant groups and employers on Staten Island.”
Today, Botros, alongside his partners in Bread & Butter Hospitality, oversees more than ten restaurants, covering a wide variety of cuisines, including Italian, Mexican, American, and German. While the restaurants are renowned for their food and atmospheres, their dishes are just the beginning.
Aside from food, Bread and Butter Hospitality’s biggest commodity is community service. Across their restaurants, the restaurant group hosts more than a dozen annual events, including Summer Winestock; The Big Cheese, Country, Brew & BBQ; and the Beer & Bubbly Oyster Festival, where dishes are commonly sold at cost, with net funds funneled into local charities and nonprofits.
However, his biggest passion is dedicating time to research, awareness, and treatment of cancer. Two of the group’s restaurants – Violette’s Cellar and Sally’s Southern – are named after beloved family members who succumbed to cancer: Violette Botros, and Sally Curtis, mother of Botros’ business partner, Philip Farinacci. In 2017, the group signed a seven-year pledge to raise $250,000 toward Staten Island University Hospital’s Florina Cancer Center. In five years, the group raised $330,000 and increased their pledge to $500,000. The Center opened in 2023, and Bread and Butter Hospitality remains one of their largest donors.
“Collectively, the restaurants employ over 400 people, which has a huge impact on the communities that we operate in. Our staff and their families are all involved in the community work that we do. It feels great to be able to use the platform that way,” says Botros.
Botros’ list of accolades is long and varied. Among other accomplishments, Botros has received an LGBTQ Ally Award Recipient from the Pride Center of Staten Island, was named a Rising Stars Award recipient by Full-Service Restaurant Magazine, was named to the Staten Island Power 100 List by City and State New York, and was also named a Sunrise Day Camp Honoree by the Jewish Community Center. Two years in a row, Bread and Butter Hospitality hosted the prestigious Friends of James Beard Foundation at Violette’s Cellar (2018) and The Stone House (2019), the first and only times the organization has ever visited restaurants in Staten Island.
“This all costs time, effort, and money, but I think it’s always worth it,” emphasizes Botros. “I believe that a business should live its life trying to support the community around itself.”