Meet The Chic Design Visionary Behind One Of The Fastest-growing Restaurant Groups

Long before construction crews arrive, before the lighting is installed or the first cocktail is poured, Christina Bonfiglio-Dietz already knows exactly how she wants a restaurant to feel.

She knows where guests will instinctively gather before dinner. She knows which booth will become the most requested table in the room. She knows how the lighting should subtly shift as afternoon turns to evening, how conversations should naturally linger, and how every texture, finish, material and architectural detail should work together to create something guests may never consciously notice, but will undoubtedly remember.

For Bonfiglio-Dietz, great restaurant design isn’t simply about creating beautiful spaces. It’s about creating emotion. That philosophy has quietly established the 32-year-old as one of hospitality’s most exciting emerging creative and design voices.

As Chief Brand + Concept Officer of Triple T Hospitality Group, the family-owned hospitality company behind the rapidly expanding Tommy’s Tavern + Tap and Tio Taco + Tequila Bar concepts, Bonfiglio-Dietz oversees the creative vision behind every restaurant the company opens. From architecture and interiors to lighting, finishes, guest flow and brand identity, every design decision ultimately passes through her hands.

While restaurateurs often become the face of a brand, Bonfiglio-Dietz has spent more than a decade shaping something equally important: the environments where people celebrate birthdays, gather for football games, toast engagements, close business deals and reconnect with friends over dinner. Those moments don’t happen by accident. They’re carefully designed.

Spend five minutes talking with Bonfiglio-Dietz and one word comes up repeatedly: “feeling.” She rarely talks about aesthetics without immediately talking about emotion. Ask about materials and she’ll explain how guests move through a room. Ask about lighting and she’ll describe how it changes the energy of an evening. Ask about finishes and she’ll tell you stories about families gathering around a table.

To her, restaurant design isn’t only about decoration. It’s hospitality. “I’ve loved design my entire life,” she says. “Whether it was a paint color on the wall or looking at a house and imagining how it could be improved, it was always a shared passion between my dad and me. We had the same eye and we were both sticklers for getting every detail exactly right. We never, ever cut corners. Every detail matters.”

Ironically, Bonfiglio-Dietz never attended design school. She studied business, entrepreneurship and communications at the University of Miami, where she met her husband Christopher Dietz. Today, the couple helps lead the next generation of Triple T Hospitality Group. Christina oversees the company’s design and creative direction, while Christopher serves as Chief Financial Officer, guiding its continued growth. Together, they’re raising two young children, Donatello and Seraphina, while balancing family life with one of the Northeast’s fastest growing hospitality companies.

Her eye for design came from somewhere beyond classroom walls. Growing up alongside her father, the late Tommy Bonfiglio (Founder of Triple T Hospitality Group), design became their shared language. Together they noticed details other people overlooked. They debated finishes. They appreciated craftsmanship. They believed the smallest decisions often created the biggest emotional impact.

Today, every restaurant she designs still begins there. Founded by Tommy and Yvette Bonfiglio, Triple T Hospitality Group has grown from a family-owned restaurant business into one of the region’s fastest-growing hospitality companies. Yet despite its expansion, Bonfiglio-Dietz views herself less as reinventing the brand than protecting what made it successful in the first place.

“More than I could ever describe, it’s an honor to carry my dad’s vision forward as we continue to grow,” she says. “I think about him with every decision and every step. Even as we evolve and stay current, it’s incredibly important to me to keep his vision, his magic and who he was in every piece of the design.”

Tommy Bonfiglio’s influence continues to guide every project. “With evolving design trends, I channel him before I make a big change. I ask myself, ‘how do I keep this grounded while evolving?’ I think he’d be proud of the decisions we continue to make while always staying true to our roots and ourselves.”

The balancing act of evolving while remaining authentic has become one of the defining characteristics of her work.

Long before construction crews ever arrive, Bonfiglio-Dietz has already mentally walked through the finished restaurant countless times. She isn’t only choosing wall finishes. She’s imagining how guests will experience the space from the moment they walk through the front door.

“Before a store is even built, we have wall finishes and television placement selected on every single square inch while it’s still just on paper,” she says. “We want each wall to create a sense of purpose and feeling. Everything is thought out.”

That philosophy is evident across both of Triple T Hospitality Group’s concepts. Ask her to describe Tommy’s Tavern + Tap and she doesn’t begin with furniture or architecture. She begins with people. “Tommy’s was always my father’s dream. It’s a casual, comfortable place you could go any day of the week, for any reason, with anyone. Every finish is high-end while still feeling inviting.”

Tio Taco + Tequila Bar was imagined differently. “For Tio, we wanted fun, casual, yet high-end finishes that create an ambiance where you feel comfortable. A margarita, excellent street food, beautiful surroundings and great music. It just sounds like a good time.”

Every design decision serves a purpose. Lighting, she believes, may be the single most overlooked element in hospitality. “If the lighting is off, the experience is off. We have our lighting down to a science. Hour by hour it’s set in stone.”

Even then, she’s reluctant to reveal every secret. “We can’t give away all of our secrets,” she says with a laugh. “But let’s just say we set the mood for every single visit and every moment shared with us. Everything is thought out. There’s always movement.”

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Bonfiglio-Dietz’s philosophy is what doesn’t influence her work. At a time when many restaurants are conceived around social media vision boards, she shared that she has never designed with social media in mind.. “My thoughts are guest experience, vibe, what feels best, and what would my dad want this to look like. What would make him proud?”

Ironically, that’s exactly why guests can’t stop photographing the spaces she creates. Rather than following a new trend every year, Bonfiglio-Dietz has designed for people.

The result is restaurants that feel authentic enough to share. No two Tommy’s Tavern + Tap or Tio Taco + Tequila Bar locations are identical, yet each carries the essence of the brand.

“Every store is like a new family member,” she says. “You know where you are, yet each one is unique. Consistency is the root and individuality comes from its growth into life.”

Away from the restaurants, Christina and Christopher have brought that same philosophy home. Their Little Silver, New Jersey residence was designed not only as a showpiece, but as a place where family naturally gathers. It’s a reflection of the hospitality they create professionally.

“My kitchen is where my family gathers,” she says. “It’s where we spend most of our time. We have an oversized 12-foot island where everyone naturally comes together.”

Whether she’s welcoming guests into one of her restaurants or into her own home, the objective remains remarkably consistent. “I want people to feel comfortable,” she says. “I want people to want to be here.”

As Triple T Hospitality Group continues to expand, Bonfiglio-Dietz is quietly redefining what restaurant design can be. She’s not only creating beautiful interiors, but is shaping the emotions people carry with them long after the meal has ended.

Because the best hospitality design isn’t remembered for a particular chair, light fixture or wall finish. It’s remembered for the way it made you feel.