Anthony DeAlmeida has worked in dining services at Harvard Business School for nearly 30 years. It’s a bit of a family tradition; his mother, brother, and sister all had various roles on campus. Anthony has worked under five deans, seen Kresge closed and demolished, and Spangler Center open and grow. We asked him about his time here, his background and path to this role, and what he likes to do in his (very little) spare time.
What is your role and what does it look like day to day?
I’m the senior operations manager for Restaurant Associates (RA). I’ve worked in the Grille, the Food Court, the outlets, and now spend a lot of time as a mentor as I hope to retire in a few years—I turned 65 last week! I open up in the morning—if there’s a light on the phone then I know someone might have called out, so I have to get on the phone to get people in to cover shifts. Once my full crew is here, we coordinate with the back of the house team and make sure that the menu for the week hasn’t changed so that we can print it out and upload them onto the intranet and on Instagram. Then I make sure everyone is doing their sidework and getting their stations set up for breakfast and that all the baked goods are delivered to the outlets. Then we flip to lunch signage. There’s a lot of technology now, with bar codes and daily labels, uploading information for allergens and ingredients. And things always change with product deliveries, and there’s a lot of office work for scheduling and payroll, ordering things like candy and chips, cashing out cashiers, answering phones. It all takes time—every day, 24/7.
I also DJ, and have worked RA holiday parties and some Executive Education events.
What was your path to HBS?
I started working here in 1987, when the dining services were run by Marriott. I had just finished my tour as an Army Ranger in California, and my sister introduced me to HBS. She was a housekeeping manager and retired last year after 40 years. My younger brother worked in the mailroom until he also retired last year, and when I was a kid my mom worked part time at Kresge.
I started as the steward for Executive Education programs—we brought food from Kresge daily for breakfast and lunch service, including a full bar, for all their meals, snacks, and parties. I did that for about four years, then left to be a restaurant manager at Anthony’s Pier 4, which I did for almost 10 years. I came back to Harvard to work at the Faculty Club in 1997, and then to HBS in 2001 when Spangler was opening. I was the closing operations manager and stayed at the Faculty Club part time—I’d work there from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm, then come here and work until 11:00 pm. I did that for more than 20 years. That gave my daughters college educations, fairytale weddings, and helped them buy homes that are next to each other.
What are your favorite parts of your job?
The management team, and the work itself is great. I fit right in from the start. The people here, the community, the conversations I have every day with students, professors, and staff. It’s a great place to be all around. I love it. I’ve seen incredible things and it’s great helping new people progress in management.
I look forward to commencement every year, knowing that we hopefully added extra smiles and delicious food and treats for the students and community.
Where are you from?
My family is originally from Portugal, I was born in Braga, but my parents moved here and I grew up in the North End. We were the only Portuguese family in the building—everyone else was Italian but because my name was Anthony, I fit right in. When I was 13 my parents bought their first home in Somerville. I graduated from Somerville High and worked at my father’s restaurant, the Broadway Coffee Shop, through high school and a few years in college until I joined the military. I served in Germany, South Korea, Japan, Alaska, Georgia, and California. I’ve been married 37 years. We live in Tewksbury, and my daughters in North Billerica—I have two grandchildren and another on the way in January. I’m very blessed.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I try to have Sundays for rest. My girls and their families come to our house for a nice dinner. My wife is a great cook. I also direct a catering company in Weston. I enjoy all sports, my favorite is basketball, and I love to swim and be at the beach.
Family is most important to me.
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