New CEO Places Trust In Culinary Experts

By BARBARA POLICHETTI
Posted 2/5/25

If executive Mick Lamond wants to meet someone for a business lunch, it shouldn’t be too difficult.  As the new president and chief executive officer of Newport Restaurant group, Lamond …

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New CEO Places Trust In Culinary Experts

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If executive Mick Lamond wants to meet someone for a business lunch, it shouldn’t be too difficult.  As the new president and chief executive officer of Newport Restaurant group, Lamond has some of the most popular restaurants in the state to choose from – including Avvio Italian restaurant in Cranston, Hemenway’s seafood in Providence, and the picturesque cliffside Castle Hill Inn in Newport.

It’s more likely, however, that during lunch the low-key Lamond will be at his desk at the company’s headquarters in Warwick doing what he does best – strategic planning and financial management of the restaurant group known for its eclectic cuisine and attention to detail.

“I like what I do…and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by wonderfully talented people,” says Lamond who joined the Newport Restaurant Group in 2005 as its Chief Financial Officer.  He rose to become its executive vice president, and now succeeds the company’s long-time CEO, Paul O’Reilly who will stay on to act as a special advisor to Lamond, the company said in a press release.

The restaurant group proudly declares itself “100-percent employee-owned,” and Lamond will oversee its portfolio of 17 restaurants in Rhode Island and Massachusetts with an eye toward continued growth.

A Cranston native, Lamond 55, sat down at Avvio Ristorante in the Garden City shopping center last week to talk about his new role, the goals he has for the company and his appreciation for the employees who have made the Newport Restaurant Group a success story.  It was clear that the unassuming Lamond was not entirely comfortable being the center of attention.

As its CFO nearly 20 years, he has been responsible for all financial functions of the company and its subsidiaries, as well as the management of the employee stock ownership plan which owns 100-percent of the company stock.  A graduate of Bryant University, Lamond has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in taxation.   He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the RI Society of CPAs (RISCPA).

He said that one of his main goals is to plan the company’s future and keep an eye out for expansion opportunities.  Another is to make sure that the restaurants continue to make the experience of their guests a top priority.

He credits the management and the staff at each restaurant for the work they do.  “I am surrounded by people who are passionate about what they do,” he said.  “We are all about a commitment to excellence and our people take pride in what they do.”

Lamond said that maintaining that commitment to excellence is the result of hiring good people, the culture of being employee-owned, and the fact that each manager is given autonomy in running their respective restaurants.

The group employs about 1,700 people during peak season and its restaurants cover a wide variety of cuisines and many of them are eclectically mixes of different cultural culinary influences.  In Newport, its venues include Castle Hill Inn, Bar’Cino, The Bohlin, The Mooring, 22 Bowen’s Wine Bar & Grille, Aurelia, La Vecina, and Smoke House. In Providence, it owns Hemenway’s and Waterman Grille, and other restaurants include the Boat House in Tiverton, Avvio in Cranston, Celeste in Narragansett, and Iron Works in Warwick. In Massachusetts, it owns Papa Razzi in Wellesley, and Bar ‘Cino locations in Brookline, Watertown, and Westwood.

Asked if he has favorite, Lamond says, ‘no,’ but acknowledges that the historic Castle Hill Inn is a special place that draws visitors from around the world.

Reilly said he has total confidence that Lamond is the right person to lead the Newport Restaurant Group forward.  “I am confident that Mick possesses the necessary leadership, vision, and financial acumen to drive the company forward in a thoughtful and strategic way,” Reilly said in a statement. 

Lamond, who grew up in Cranston’s Stadium neighborhood off Park Avenue, says his family growing up didn’t go out to eat much when he was younger.  And even now, he it would not consider himself a “foodie,” or epicurean adventurer.  

Fortunately, that is not an impediment to his job, he says, because the restaurant group has top chefs and a culinary director who manage the kitchen side of operations.  That does not mean, however, Lamond said, that he is completely hands off.  He enjoys patronizing the restaurants when he can, and admits to loving “steak, Italian food and dessert.”  

“There is so much creativity in this business,” he said.  “And I think we are always our own harshest critics. We are always looking to see what we can do better.”

The father of four grown children, Lamond and his wife, Gloria, now live in western Cranston, not far from where Avvio is located, and he says they do enjoy stopping by occasionally for dinner or lunch.

And if he has an opinion on a menu item he like to see added or changed?  For the most part, Lamond says he’s likely to keep that to himself, reiterating the fact that the autonomy of each individual restaurant is one of the Newport Restaurant Group’s greatest strengths.

“I have been fortunate to participate in (this company) and experience its growth and success over the last 20 years,” Lamond says.  “I really enjoy being part of a great company.”

For more information about the Newport Restaurant Group and its venues, visit newportrestaurantgroup.com.

  

 

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