Five years ago, Tiffany Alic and her husband Allen Alic took over ownership of one of Portage’s most well known restaurants: Cappo’s. Since those five years of ownership, the Alic’s have implemented new dishes, programs, and customers; but have kept the original Cappo’s environment and style.
Alic got her start with the Cappo’s restaurant 16 years ago when it was still at the previous location at the Portage Mall on Central Avenue. Alic continued to work at Cappo’s when it moved to its current location on Portage Highway 6 and has done every single job there.
Alic became the new owner when the old one, Dolly Cummins, decided it was time to retire. Alic had also fallen in love with the restaurant so much that even before Cummins retired, Alic asked Cummins if she would be able to purchase the place.
As co-owner with her husband, Alic works more on the day to day criteria while her husband comes in to help fix things in the restaurant. Both Alic’s make a great team together and T. Alic especially loves that she and her husband can discuss and plan the business together.
“Getting to work with my husband is good. It’s great to brainstorm together and we’re great at fixing things together. It’s great to have someone help with issues and problems that occur,” said Alic.
Alic relates that the reason she decided to become the new owner of Cappo’s was because she’s always been involved in the restaurant business. She knew with all her heart it was the place she wanted to work.
“I’ve always had a lot of faith in this business. I knew it was something I would be able to do successfully,” Alic said.
As for ownership of a business, Alic knew it was always playing in the back of her mind and eventually she got just what she wanted. In Alic’s opinion, most people assume that working at a restaurant is only looked at as washing dishes and waiting tables. But Alic would like everyone to know it's so much more than that, the opportunities that can come from just being in the restaurant industry can lead to great things.
When defining her restaurant, Alics states it as a community of it’s own. A place that has been around for so long that everyone is family in some way.
“Cappo’s is a family and community oriented restaurant. We’ve been around long enough to see so many people grow up. And to me that aspect is so cool,” said Alic.
One of the biggest accomplishments besides owning Cappo’s for Alic is establishing the Little Readers program. This program is for elementary school students all around Portage that reach their Accelerated Reader point goal. Once those elementary students reach their Accelerated Reader points for the month they are awarded a certificate from Cappo’s that is good for a free personal pizza or kids meal. Alic decided to implement this program for the elementary school students because she wanted to give back to the Portage community and let children know that reading is a great asset of educational knowledge.
Aside from owning Cappo’s, Alic spends most of her spare time either with her family or reading. Some of Alic’s favorite books are, We Begin at the End by Chris Witaker, The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
The Alic’s would like the Portage Community to know that they love being a part of Portage and their school systems. And they always appreciate the support provided by their customers.