Do you ever wish you could be transported to another place, complete with all the sights, sounds, and smells to experience? Turns out, if you’re an Inland Empire local, this may not be too far from reality.
At Nuno’s Bistro & Bar in Upland, guests are invited to partake in an all-new way of dining. With a mouthwatering menu of Portuguese dishes and handcrafted cocktails, Nuno’s takes your traditional restaurant meal to the next level with immersive dining experiences.
Read on for this month’s Client Spotlight with restauranteur and owner of Nuno’s Bistro & Bar, Joey Medeiros, to learn more about this must-visit restaurant.
A Little Bit of Background
Before we dive in, though, the story of Nuno’s Bistro & Bar actually begins at another restaurant: Euro Café.
Fifteen years ago, the Medeiros family opened the picturesque café in Claremont. Sticking true to their heritage and background, Euro Café delivers delectable Portuguese and European cuisine in a comfortable, laid-back environment.
As things progressed and the café thrived, Medeiros began designing the concept of a second restaurant.
Then, five years ago, Nuno’s Bistro & Bar transitioned from a dream to reality. Still staying true to his Portuguese and European roots, Medeiros kept the foundation of Euro Café, but put a new spin on it.
The Next Evolution
Whereas Euro Café is more of a fast-casual restaurant, Nuno’s Bistro & Bar provides a slightly different ambiance.
For one thing, Nuno’s offers a more refined menu and a full bar. Additionally, the restaurant prides itself on providing unique “dining experiences” through year-round events.
Typically, Medeiros and his team will select a specific spirit or wine and create a natural pairing experience around this central theme. The result is a dually educational and fun dining experience far beyond the scope of a typical night out.
For example, Nuno’s’ last event was a “Spanish Night to Remember”.
They spotlighted the Torres Wine Family – one of the oldest wineries in Spain. Then, building on this theme, the Nuno’s team prepared an exquisite wine pairing dinner with exclusively Spanish cuisine, flamenco dancers, a ham carver with pata negra, and a representative from the Torres Wine Family to share the winery’s history with the guests.
Sound like fun?
Medeiros’ next event is already in the works – Nuno’s Top Chef, a spin on the much-watched Food Network chef competitions! Nuno’s will host a real-time live competition where guests are not just diners, but also get to watch the live competition.
There will be monitors around the restaurant, a film crew, and four competitors vying for the crown – and a spot on the Nuno’s team! (Talk about a high-stakes interview!)
Building a Fan Base
Medeiros shares that Nuno’s Bistro & Bar is fortunate to have such a loyal following. Coming up on their fifth year in business, Nuno’s has cultivated a great reputation with their regulars and the local community.
As a result, he explains that they rarely have to engage in traditional advertising. So what is it that sets Nuno’s apart? For starters, the restaurant is dedicated to going above and beyond the typical dining experience.
Not only is Nuno’s Bistro & Bar home to a phenomenal chef and cocktail program, but their entire team is constantly innovating and refining to stay on par with some of the top restaurants in LA and Hollywood.
From the Ground Up
Apart from years of experience with Euro Café, Medeiros shares that one of the biggest keys to success is having the right people on your team. He says,
At the end of the day, your team are the ones who interact closely with the guests. The restaurant business requires a lot of hands-on work, and as an owner you can’t be everywhere at once. You have to really invest in and find people who you can trust.
Additionally, the Euro Café experience and Medeiros’ family upbringing both heavily contributed to Nuno’s’ success. He shares,
We have a culture of embracing people, entertaining, family gatherings… And that has all translated into what we do at Nuno’s and what we instill in our team members. We want to make people feel like they’re at home.
Why SDP?
A client of Southland Data Processing’s for about two years now, Medeiros couldn’t be happier with the partnership Nuno’s Bistro & Bar and SDP have built together.
Having experience with payroll solutions ranging from doing payroll in-house to working with bookkeepers, to processing with larger payroll providers, Medeiros says of SDP, “It’s been great.”
He explains that they had decided that they wanted to work with a company that specialized in payroll. This was especially true in light of the constantly changing legal landscape in California. He shares,
SDP was the perfect fit given that they are a local business, their focus is payroll, [and] they’re involved in the community which is something we’ve always made a point to do. We’re very happy that we’ve started doing business with [SDP], and payroll’s been a breeze!
Additionally, Medeiros shares how SDP has exceeded their expectations for a payroll partner. For example, when Nuno’s Bistro & Bar first began working with SDP, we were able to help him resolve a tax issue that had arisen with his previous processor.
Medeiros shares that even though the issue had nothing to do with the timeframe that SDP was handling the payroll for Nuno’s Bistro & Bar, SDP’s Director of Compliance Brett Strauss, Esq. still took it upon himself to resolve the matter.
He says of the experience,
It was a great relief for me, and it was also just great to see that a person and a company would go above and beyond the scope of their responsibility just to make a customer happy.
Come Visit Us
It’s no secret that we’re fans of Nuno’s. In fact, if you’ve ever been to a happy hour at SDP, you may have even had the chance to try some tasty bites from the Upland restaurant!
Looking to learn more about Nuno’s Bistro & Bar? Or better yet, try out the Nuno’s experience for yourself?! Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for all of their upcoming events, weekly specials, and more!
SDP Client Spotlights: Celebrating Our Clients
Every month, we highlight one of our amazing clients with the SDP Client Spotlight. Here at Southland Data Processing, we’re in the people business and strive to always put our clients first. So if you or your organization is interested in becoming our next Client Spotlight, please contact us at [email protected] and we’d love to hear your story!
Photo by Nuno’s Bistro & Bar