Time has taught Guillaume Pichoir a thing or two about the restaurant business. Since this former software development manager took the helm of the Da Paolo Group of restaurants as CEO in 2010, he’s steered the company through downturns, fickle markets and the COVID-19 pandemic. So while others may tread cautiously in today’s uncertain economic climate, Pichoir is bullish about his plans to introduce new F&B brands to market. Launching a new F&B concept as the industry grapples with rising rents and more cautious consumer spending may seem poorly timed, but Pichoir thinks otherwise. SURFING THE FICKLE TIDESDa Paolo began in 1989 as a single family-run Italian restaurant founded by Pichoir’s parents-in-law, Paolo and Judie Scarpa.