EXETER — To many area residents, Sabatini’s Pizza goes far beyond a quality restaurant at a central location, even beyond a place to gather for a night out — to many it has become a family tradition.
Owner Lindo Sabatini said the restaurant, in its 60th year, often serves families for generations.
“Often, someone will have their first date here and then celebrate their 20th anniversary here and beyond,” he said. “Every kind of family event from birthday parties, to rehearsal dinners, to post-graduation dinners are celebrated here.”
On a recent afternoon, Sabatini took time to look back on his family’s history, intertwined with the restaurant that bears its name.
His grandparents, John and Catherine Sabatini, opened the restaurant in 1958, serving only pizza.
“They knew people liked pizza and my grandmother had a secret recipe,” he said. “We still use that recipe today.”
The next generation, Joe and Carol Sabatini, stepped up in 1973 to run the restaurant through the 70s, 80s and 90s.
During that period, the restaurant added to its menu, serving not just pizza, but other items which now includes wings, salads, sandwiches and pasta.
Lindo Sabatini and his wife Maria bought the restaurant in 2005 and couldn’t be happier.
“Someone asked me how long do I have to run the restaurant,” he said. “I said, ‘You mean how long do I have the privilege of running the restaurant?’”
Sabatini loves his job because he never knows what a day will hold.
“I come into work and one day, I am making pizza, the next I am fixing the air conditioning,” he said.
In the last two years, the restaurant also has expanded its footprint on Wyoming Avenue with a “Bar & Bottle” area operating next to the original restaurant.
Other growth of the restaurant is unrelated to sales or business, having to do with matters of the heart and of the area.
“We recently had a couple get married here,” he said. “Their first memories as a married couple will be made here.”
In one sense, Sabatini’s provides quality Italian food for residents of the Greater Pittston area and beyond; in another sense, it provides a cherished backdrop as life unfolds for its customers.
