As Milano emerged as a European fashion and banking center in the 1970's, Bice Milano was embraced by a new international clientele that included the continent's reigning designers. In a city where understated elegance is the norm, word spread of the restaurant's stylish interiors, the Tuscan origins of the food and of Bice Ruggeri's unwavering commitment to satisfying her clients. Bice was now a recognized Milanese restaurateur and her sons, Remo and Roberto, were taking steps to extend her vision throughout the world.
The network of Bice restaurants spanning the world today began 90 years ago in Milano, Italy by Beatrice Ruggeri – also know as Bice. She was the first child of a family of 10, and so had to help her parents raise her young siblings almost as they were her own. They lived on a farm where all had to work on the land and help with all chores, so she learned a lot of things that would help her create her future. For years she was encouraged to open her "cucina" to the public as she was known for her extraordinary hospitality and personal warmth, and in 1926, when her husband Gino asked her to move to America with him where he had previously been to make good money, she decided that she would rather try a city like Milano so that she could stay close to her family. They agreed to open a "trattoria" – loosely translated as a friendly gathering place with a farm to table approach. With Bice in the kitchen and her brothers and sisters serving in the dining room, il ristorante "Da Gino e Bice", or Bice as it would later be known, had a family feeling. The first customers said it was like being at the home of a friend, as Bice hoped they would.
Although the original plan was to open one restaurant, the number of openings multiplied: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, Palm Beach and Tokyo all in the short span of three years. Up until that point, international restaurant chains were confined to fast food restaurants and a few steakhouses, but Bice confronted and overcame the challenge by creating a unique global image. At the root of Bice's entrepreneurial approach is the desire to offer its guests the possibility to identify themselves with the restaurants, the food we prepare and the same atmosphere around the world. Our regulars make up an elite club that span the globe and know that Bice Group is always there when they want to enjoy themselves.
Restaurants are usually identified by their owners or their chefs, but the Bice Group and their dedicated teams have succeeded in creating an aura around the name of their restaurants that makes up for the absence of those entities.
In 1993, the need to diversify Bice services in order to accommodate the changing tastes of their guests became apparent. With the help of the now grown Bice grandson, Raffaele Ruggeri, the company introduced new theme-related restaurants to appeal to all kinds of customers alongside the tried and true Bice formula.