‘Italy in the 60s at the seaside’ – Big Mamma’s Giacomo trattoria in Monaco

With over 20 restaurants across Europe, Big Mamma is known for its individuality – borne from the vision of founders, Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux. With Tigrane’s family being Monegasque residents, the pair decided to open a restaurant in the Principality – based on the ambition to ‘provide simple, authentic and inexpensive food with good ingredients and good value for money.’

While the eatery is unique in its style, there are still elements which remain distinctly ‘Big Mamma’, tying it back to its Italian roots via a ‘concept book’ which guides the ‘look and feel’ of the space and interprets the brand – in this case, ‘Italy in the 60s at the seaside’.

In aligning the project, the key was to double-check every single detail – as there’s so much information and creativity coming from stakeholders, designers, and suppliers – all heading into a relatively small space.

Both style and functionality needed to work in tandem here, and as such, everything needed to be carefully coordinated, because any slight deviation could knock out the flow of the space. While the architects took care of front of house design and style, the rest of the space was a very technical build, encompassing complex mechanical and electrical elements which needed to be managed closely.

We began the process with an outline design concept, which was developed as the project progressed. Collaboratively, we went on this journey together and something fantastic came out of the culmination of minds.

Although tight timescales meant time was against us, we used Procore to refine the construction process and act as the control for around 80% of the delivery, something which became key given the project’s flat structure – which meant that when it came to decision-making, each contractor had the autonomy to take a call.

The brief was that the restaurant had to be open come July – no matter what. The nature of the location, however, meant there were some unavoidable challenges to overcome and plan for – such as the complete shutdown of the area during the F1 – meaning the team worked through the night to ensure the work was complete.

In the end, four countries came together beautifully – Monaco with its legislation, the project management team in Italy, a design manager in Luxembourg, and financial controls in France – to handover the space in time for the grand opening.