Title: Chief Executive Officer and Owner
Company: Soprano’s Italian Franchise LLC
Location: Newport News, Virginia, United States
Essam M. Mahmoud, chief executive officer and owner at Soprano’s Italian Franchise LLC, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in restaurant administration.
Springing from an inspiring story of resolve in the face of life’s challenges, Mr. Mahmoud has been the chief executive officer and owner of Soprano’s Italian Franchise LLC for 20 years. Originally hailing from Egypt, he earned a Juris Doctor and initially practiced law. Though he excelled in his first year as a lawyer, Mr. Mahmoud was frustrated by how many new lawyers were entering the system each year in Egypt and how difficult that made it to stand out. He decided to take a chance on himself and seek a new life by immigrating to the United States and attending law school there.
Upon arriving in the U.S., Mr. Mahmoud encountered a language barrier that made continuing in the legal field intimidating. Instead, he accepted a variety of low-level restaurant jobs, slowly being promoted from dishwasher making $80 a month to busboy, waiter, cook and eventually manager. During this time, Mr. Mahmoud also learned English on his own, teaching himself a new language solely through the people he encountered while working. He used these opportunities to build up his understanding of the restaurant business and each element necessary to succeed in the field.
By 2004, Mr. Mahmoud had mastered English and saved enough money to open his own restaurant, a small establishment that he named Soprano’s Italian, in honor of the mentor who had taught him how to cook and helped him navigate the restaurant industry. Since then, Soprano’s has found great success, growing from its initial single location into a blossoming franchise, with two sites in Virginia and the first international extension opening soon in Cairo. Mr. Mahmoud has also brought the Soprano’s Italian brand to retail shelves, introducing jarred versions of the restaurant’s customer-favorite marinara sauce and house dressing. Soprano’s Italian is widely praised by its customers, with high ratings on Google and DoorDash. Though he is the franchise’s chief executive officer and owner, Mr. Mahmoud still spends many nights in the kitchen, ensuring every dish is produced at a high level of quality, cooking food himself, and mentoring his employees.
Having moved across the world and overcome many obstacles to his prosperity, Mr. Mahmoud views his life story as an ongoing example of his chosen motto: “Don’t give up.” In addition to the impactful mentorship he received, he credits his success to a positive personality, hard work, dedication, determination and self-respect. A member of the Hampton Road Chapter of the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Association, his hard work was notably celebrated when Soprano’s Italian Restaurant was presented with the President’s Bronze Award in 2024. Mr. Mahoud prides himself on looking for new paths forward whenever he faces adversity—an open-minded approach that has allowed him to maneuver between different cultures and career paths with ease.
Outside of his career, Mr. Mahmoud is a dedicated husband and father to four children. In his free time, he enjoys swimming, exercising and watching documentaries. Looking to the future, Mr. Mahmoud intends to continue growing Soprano’s Italian Franchise, both by opening new locations and by expanding the company’s retail product line. He is in discussion with multiple potential partners in the food supply business to make Soprano’s products more widely available in the United States and to introduce additions to the brand. Mr. Mahmoud is eager to see Soprano’s Italian flourish with a broader scope and fresh market opportunities.
For more information, please visit:
Contact Mr. Mahmoud:
