We are excited to announce our new monthly feature presented by Visit Modesto! Visit Modesto is
launching the “Deeply Rooted” campaign this month, which features personal stories of community members and how they are creating positive change and energy in our city. ModestoView is proud to
partner and start off the wonderful series with one of our longtime supporters, friends, and local
businesspeople in our town: Roman Wagner (P. Wexford’s, Rivets, Nino’s, and more!) Learn more about
this incredible person and businesses below, and check out www.ModestoView.com to read the full
interviews with our Deeply Rooted friend!
What inspired you or brought you to be in your line of work?
RW: I started working at Brawley’s Restaurant in Sacramento (which also had Modesto roots) when I was 15 and never thought this would become my career. I wasn’t the best employee and didn’t particularly enjoy my job of washing dishes. I left that job after a few years when one of my friends told me of a new restaurant that had recently opened up in town called The Velvet Creamery. I applied, met, and was hired by my Mentor, Dan Costa, a young, energetic and charismatic entrepreneur from Modesto. Dan took a liking to me from the start and started grooming me, a kid just graduating high school to become a manager for the restaurant I was just hired at… Dan was instrumental in my life along with his wife, Denise, and they gave me opportunities and planted seeds that would eventually come to fruition. No one in my family had ever owned a business. The thought that I would eventually own several restaurants was due to Dan’s mentorship and his instilling what it means to work hard (a lot of hours) and teaching me how to run a business.
Of all places to share your talents and passions, why did you choose Modesto to do business?
RW: As mentioned above, The Creamery was founded and based in Modesto, and I was periodically called
to visit and report back to" home base" as I eventually became first District Manager, then Regional Manager of the chain. I helped open many of the chain’s 20-something stores up and down the Central Valley and Bay Area. I was even there, helping Dan open the first Mallard’s working in the kitchen, and helping to train the staff…. I still recall my first visit to Modesto when I fell in love with the city… It was
around the 4th of July. I can’t recall the year, but I vividly remember driving through the streets, trying to
find the plant Downtown on 7th & L, and seeing all the American flags on the houses and the front lawns. The sense of Americana was so evident …. I just loved it! This was to become my home
and where I would raise my family.
What are your hopes and goals for Modesto and our community in the coming years?
RW: I hope Modesto will remain a farming community with large fields within the city limits…I like the small-town feeling that Modesto still has, and I would hate to see it go the way of other cities like Sacramento, where I grew up. I am optimistic about Downtown Modesto, where I have two places, and I hope others will eventually have opportunities to open their businesses here. The more successful businesses Downtown, the better it is for Modesto. I firmly believe everyone has windows of opportunity that open and close in their lives… the key is not to be afraid to recognize and seize the opportunity before them.
Favorite local “night out” in Modesto?
RW: I eat “out” a lot, whether at one of my restaurants or other local eateries, then either stay and
listen to a local band or socialize/ dance at one of my other bars. I enjoy bringing entertainment and fun spots to the residents of the area, and Modesto has some talented musicians and DJs!
