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There’s a Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On at Deseo
By Nicole Minieri, Contributing Writer
Since opening in April 2009, Deseo Tequila
Lounge and Restaurant on Main Street remains
a one-of-a-kind, crème-de-la-crème dining
and dancing hot spot in the heart of downtown
Redwood City. Owned and operated by husbandand-wife
team Renato and Diane Cusimano,
this little “tequila sunrise” neighborhood
establishment offers locals a great socializing
experience without having to travel far, and the
tequila, happy hour, salsa dancing and lessons,
live DJ music, diverse crowd, cool vibe, comfy
seats, widescreen high-definition TVs, incredible
food, specialty drinks, cleanliness and sweet
customer service are the talk of the town.
But what’s even sweeter than the exceptional
service provided by the Cusimanos is the road
they traveled to Redwood City and why they
chose to take root here. “We came to Redwood
City after looking around at many different
locations around the Peninsula and South Bay and
just fell in love with the city the moment we came
here,” said Diane Cusimano. “Redwood City
absolutely waved at the top for us. We appreciated
the ethnic diversity and felt the people of this
community were ready for a type of business
and establishment like Deseo. However, why
we ultimately chose Redwood City was because
we believed and felt that because the downtown
area was in the process of being re-developed,
that it would eventually grow to be a happening
place. From day one we believed there was major
potential in this city.”
She added, “My husband and I are very serious
business owners who have been professionals
in the food and beverage business since 1987,
and we definitely did our homework, because
choosing a successful location to open up a
business is not that easy as one would think.” Part
of their homework before opening Deseo included
bringing their prior restaurant and tequila
experience to the forefront in their planning.
The Cusimanos opened Palermo’s Italian
Restaurant, their first eatery, in downtown San
Jose in May 1987 and sold it in 2005. From 1987
to 2009, they also owned and operated Italian
restaurants in Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, Menlo
Park and San Francisco. “We have actually had a
total of five Italian restaurants,” said Cusimano.
“At first we chose to open up Italian restaurants
because Renato is Italian and grew up in a big
Italian restaurant business. But my husband had
also been a tequila connoisseur for the last 10
to 12 years. He really enjoyed tequila and his
“It’s great because we draw a crowd that is definitely
mixed, with various ethnic backgrounds and ages.”
dream was to eventually open a tequila lounge.”
With a passion for tequila and 12 years of being a
successful restaurant entrepreneur under his belt,
Renato Cusimano headed south of the border and
visited various places in Mexico to learn more about
tequila. “He learned the production, the bottling
and how tequila was made,” said Cusimano.
The next step in the process for the Cusimanos
was to obtain a dance permit from the City
of Redwood City. Although dealing with city
officials was very pleasant, they initially applied
in April 2009 and their dance permit was not
granted until February of this year. “The wait for
the dance permit was long and [it was] not easy
to obtain, but the final result is it did work out
very well for us,” said Cusimano. Deseo had to
function without a dance permit for the first 10
months of business, but that obstacle did not stop
the Cusimanos from building the foundation of
their dining and dancing establishment.
Another challenge for the Cusimanos has
been staying on top financially despite the
struggling economy. “For the difficult economy
we are in right now, business has been good, but
I don’t want to say it has been great compared
to the history that we have had with our other
restaurants,” said Cusimano. “It’s been OK,
and we expect Deseo to reach a better level of
business than what we have been doing.”
In spite of the hardships that are to be expected
within a business’s first year, Deseo is still
prevailing and has become the perfect place in
Redwood City to relax, unwind, eat, drink, be
merry, mingle and have a total blast on the dance
floor within a safe environment. “It’s really nice
when people who come to Deseo say to you that
they are so happy that there is finally a nice,
upscale bar lounge in Redwood City that they
feel really comfortable in and can identify with
in their home community,” said Cusimano. “It’s
great because we draw a crowd that is definitely
mixed, with various ethnic backgrounds and ages.
We offer a variety of dancing and dance lessons
that everyone loves. We even have ’80s and disco
parties, and play hip-hop as well. We do our best
to do it all.”
The Cusimanos have been noted for expanding
their business horizons by putting their best effort
into accommodating the “likes” of different
generations. They now offer a full spectrum
of hosted parties in the dance and the banquet
areas of the restaurant, including corporate
parties, product launch parties, holiday parties,
birthdays, anniversaries, promotions and sports
events such as Super Bowl Sunday, the World
Series, Kentucky Derby, and UFC and boxing
matches. “We are open to all type of events and
would definitely love to do more of them,” said
Cusimano. “We have even done a wedding reception.
A couple got married at the County Square and
then came to our place for a wedding reception.”
Mixologist shows his talents
(continues on page 20)
Owners Renato and Diane Cusimano welcome guests
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