Not much has changed over the years at Portobello Restaurant & Pizza. It is still a quaint Italian restaurant in the Four Corners area of Brookfield, Kenny is still making pizzas and other fresh menu items, it’s still BYOB and still does not accept credit cards. On Friday, the restaurant will mark its 20th anniversary in business, proving that sometimes the status quo is the best path to success."

"Our customers want us to stay small. This is how they feel comfortable,” Ilir Alka said. “They don’t want us to expand or move or get really big.” Ilir “Junior” Alka, 30, is taking over ownership from his father, Kenny Alka, who founded the restaurant in 1997 at 782 Federal Road after moving his family from New Jersey to Connecticut to be closer to family. Ilir was 10 years old at the time and recalls being put to work washing dishes and, later, taking orders over the phone. He was 13 or 14 when he started making pizzas, he said.