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Two generations of fun: Federico and Giovanni Fuoco of Frederico's Restaurant, Commcerial Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada – photo by Rick Townsend

Federico’s Supper Club on Commercial Drive is a unique gem in the city – one of the few places where people of all generations go to dine and dance.

In the past, the restaurant was Luigi’s Mocha Restaurant, where a young Federico Fuoco and his father performed for customers. Since taking over the art deco restaurant in 1999, Fuoco has been charming customers with his Vegas-style acts and wide-range of music favourites.

Fuoco’s passion for his business is linked to his passion for the community. As a director of the Commercial Drive Business Society, he wants to ensure the community is safe and that businesses thrive and survive.

“Commercial Drive is where I grew up and I care about the livelihood of the community,” said Fuoco.

“Businesses are the backbone of our society, the engine of our economy that creates jobs and in turn creates a larger tax base.”

Fuoco echoes a major concern shared by many business owners – the added burden of the high municipal property tax share. Like many businesses on “The Drive,” Fuoco feels he pays “exorbitant taxes” on top of water, sewage, graffiti removal, garbage collection and security, most of which should be covered by his taxes.

As a result of the increased costs and property taxes, Fuoco has had to make some tough decisions.

“I just want to concentrate on my entertaining. That’s my forte,” said Fuoco who works 16-hour days.

“But because I haven’t been able to afford a manager’s salary or an extra worker in the kitchen, I’ve had to really streamline and be creative with shifts.” He has also had to increase his menu prices to absorb these costs.

The fact that businesses pay five times more than residents in municipal property taxes and use less of the city services is a sore point for Fuoco.

“Where’s the fairness in this?” asks Fuoco. “The city has to do the right thing. They have to right a wrong. This is an injustice that has to be fixed. They have to be good stewards of our property tax dollars.

“The role of government shouldn’t be to put up impediments to people’s success, especially those in business who have sacrificed everything,” continued Fuoco.

“Businesses are the backbone of our society, the engine of our economy that creates jobs and in turn creates a larger tax base.”

As long as he can pay the bills, Fuoco is committed to his restaurant.

“I love entertaining. I treat my restaurant like my home and everyone’s been invited to my party,” said Fuoco.

“When people tell me ‘I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun,’ this is the greatest reward. You can’t replace that with money or anything else.”