President and CEO of NORMS, Mike Colonna, sat down to speak with Paul Corvino about his company on this episode of Southern California's CEOs You Should Know.
Mike Colonna Bio:
As President & CEO of one of California’s most iconic family diners, Mike Colonna has no shortage of inspiring stories to share on his 40 years of experience in the hospitality and restaurant industry. With experience leading some of the most successful restaurant chains in the country and a natural knack for business, Colonna brings leadership and an owner-operator attitude to the 75-year-old, SoCal restaurant brand known as NORMS.
Upon graduating from Tufts University, Colonna continued his journey in the restaurant business, using his B.A. in Education and Psychology to develop successful training programs as Regional Training Manager for Burger King. From there, Colonna worked his way up from Regional Manager to Vice President of Operations at the once booming railroad-themed steakhouse restaurant, Victoria Station in San Francisco. It was there that he learned the ins and outs of the industry and how to run a large-scale business with 100 locations over his 8-year tenure. Furthermore, Colonna continued his way up the corporate ladder as Vice President of Operations of Fatz Café.
Colonna traveled between coasts for 26 years holding high-level positions and playing significant roles in the success of major restaurants such as Burger King, Fatz Café, Bertucci's and Boston Market. In 2014, Colonna and his wife of over 35 years, permanently relocated to Long Beach, California, where he took on his current position as President & CEO of NORMS. The iconic diner has expanded from 17 locations in 2014 to 23 current locations, with additional growth to Las Vegas in 2024.
Colonna is a family man at heart and loves spending time with his daughters and grandchildren. In his free time, he can be found catching a sports game or practicing music.