A passion for Italian food fuelled the friendship between Ben Cleary-Corradini and Theo Roduner, founders of Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers, the market-stall sensation that has become a challenger casual-dining brand.

“I was an Italian food importer when I first met Theo who became one of my best clients while he was the head chef at his family’s Italian restaurant,” Ben explains.

The best mates also shared an entrepreneurial spirit, and it was the desire to create something of their own that propelled them to turn their passion into a business.

“Gnocchi stood out because no one was really specialising in it and Theo was an absolute master in perfecting it. It’s something people love, but it was either done traditionally at home or buried on menus,” Ben says.

“We saw an opportunity to take something authentic and comforting and make it the hero, to build an entire concept around it. It was simple, but different.”

From market stall to retail

So in 2015 the friends headed to Brisbane’s markets to test their idea. Travelling to different markets each week, they continually refined the product and reinvested into their venture.

“We knew we had something when people started coming back — not just once, but every weekend — and bringing friends. When you’ve got queues forming before you even open, that’s a pretty strong signal. It stopped being about ‘does this work?’ and became ‘how do we keep up with demand?’ Ben says.

And that led them to the next step.

“The markets were incredible, but they came with limitations: weather, trading hours, capacity. We had customers constantly asking where they could find us during the week,” Ben reveals.

A retail store was the answer but it added complexity, and costs, to their business. Moving into a store meant creating systems, hiring staff, paying rent — and a much higher level of customer expectation. 

As Ben says, “You’re not just serving food anymore, you’re delivering a full experience, every day. Maintaining the same quality and energy at scale was a huge learning curve.”

Simplicity and consistency has been key to scaling the business through franchising. The pair has always been really disciplined in their approach: from a carefully curated menu to processes and systems that enable replication.

At the same time, Ben and Theo have invested heavily in making sure the voice, the visuals, and the customer experience are unmistakably Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers. 

Consistency may be underpin the brand’s business model but it’s the personality that captures customer loyalty.

Scaling the business, growing the brand

“We’ve always leaned into being a bit playful, a bit bold, and very human in how we communicate. We recently invested heavily in a re-brand which has positioned us nicely and improved our brand recall in the minds of our customers,” Ben says.

“We’re also very fortunate to have Anthony Russo, the founder of Pizza Capers, join our leadership team as a strategic hands-on investor a few years ago. Having Anthony work alongside us has given Theo and I a massive boost of confidence as we’ve benefited from great coaching and mentorship particularly in how to best navigate growth constraints and challenges.”

The brand appeals not just to customers who want to enjoy Italian food in a fun, relaxed, licensed dine-in, environment but to those looking for a quick, delicious, affordable takeaway meal.

This led Ben and Theo to introduce the dedicated takeaway store model, Pronto, enabling customers to enjoy the slow-cooked sauces and fresh takes on traditional family recipes – think beef bolognese gnocchi, creamy lobster bisque and barramundi gnocchi – but served with speed, for convenience.

As the retail footprint has stretched to 14 stores, home delivery has contributed significantly to the brand’s growth. Ben and Theo are strong advocates for working with third party delivery firms like Uber Eats, where Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers has attained a high ranking. 

“At the same time, our local area marketing and sponsoring various junior sporting clubs has been key — becoming part of the community around each store,” Ben points out.

“Our franchise partners aren’t just operators, they’re our brand ambassadors and get involved personally in helping us develop the brand even more. 

“When you have passionate owners on the ground, it elevates everything, from customer experience to local marketing,” Ben says.

Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers is redefining the casual dining segment

The key to Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers’ strong performance has been doing one thing exceptionally well.

“Our focus on gnocchi, and a select number of popular Italian entrees, pasta dishes and sweets combined with a fast-casual model, sets us apart. It’s high-quality Italian food, but designed for how people eat today — quick, accessible, and consistent,” Ben says.

“We’ve never followed the traditional path and we have scaled in a way that’s a bit unconventional for Italian dining. We started the Australia’s first dedicated ‘Gnoccheria’ back in 2015 and are now proudly the world’s first Italian restaurant chain that specialises in gnocchi as its signature dish. 

“Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers challenges the idea that Italian food needs to be formal or slow. We’ve taken something traditional and reimagined it for a modern audience,” Ben says.

“At our core, we’re always pushing — whether that’s through menu innovation, branding, or how we connect with customers. We’re not here to blend in, we are here to offer something unique and stand out!”