I Love Poke operates as Italy’s first poke chain, established in October 2017 in Milan. The brand subsequently expanded to over 170 locations across 100+ Italian cities, employing 700+ staff.

Michele Ardoni has served as external business partner and strategic advisor since 2019, when the chain operated 5 locations. Operating strictly in an advisory capacity—with strategic conceptualization and counsel rather than operational direction—his contributions focused on:

Supply Chain Strategy — Conceptualized and advised on the architecture for a scalable supply chain infrastructure, providing the strategic framework that management subsequently evaluated and implemented to support multi-unit expansion.

Industrial Process Optimization — Provided strategic guidance and recommendations for process optimization approaches during the launch phase of the company’s production facility, supporting management decisions on industrial standardization.

M&A Advisory — Advised on evaluation criteria and negotiation strategies for domestic competitor acquisitions, offering strategic counsel as management executed the consolidation of selected targets within the Italian market.

International Expansion Framework — Conceptualized the strategic approach and advised on the identification and structuring of the brand’s first international master franchise agreement for the Portuguese market, with final execution led by company ownership.

Investor Relations Strategy — Provided ongoing strategic counsel on lobbying activities and investor interface strategies to enhance brand positioning and capital-raising opportunities.

The engagement continues on an advisory basis for special operations, with decision-making and operational execution remaining exclusively under the direction of I Love Poke’s internal management and ownership.