04/17/2024
CONGRATULATIONS TO VINCE AND THE MOTTOLA FAMILY FROM ALL OF US AT Casa Italiana - Italian Cultural Center !
Renton’s oldest family-run restaurant celebrates 50 years
RENTON, Washington — Local restaurant institution Vince’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria in Renton turns fifty this month and Renton city leaders, community members, staff and customers will help celebrate beginning with a ribbon cutting at 4:00 p.m. on April 23, 2024. Diners will be invited to have spaghetti and meatballs for $2.35 and other dine-in specials at 1974 prices from April 23 through April 25, 2024.
Vince’s Renton is the oldest continuously family-owned and -operated restaurant in Renton, Washington. It is one of several Seattle-area restaurants started by Vince and Ada Mottola, Italian-American immigrants who drew on family recipes starting in 1957 to introduce the greater Seattle area to the trattorias and pizzerias of their hometown of Naples, Italy. Vince Mottola now heads the restaurant group that also includes Vince’s Italian Restaurants in Burien and Federal Way, Pizzeria Pulcinella in South Seattle and via Marina Wood Fired Pizza & Italian Cafe in Des Moines.
Fifty-year-old independent restaurants are increasingly hard to find, and ones operated by the same owners are even rarer. Mottola attributes the restaurant’s success to its loyal customer base and the dedication of its long-term staff.
“The community support for Vince’s in Renton is why we’re still going strong. We’ve been fortunate to have families who’ve been coming to Vince’s for generations,” says Mottola. “We want to have some fun with the anniversary and to thank our dedicated staff and the amazing community for its loyal support over the years.”
The population of Renton has quadrupled since Vince’s Renton opened in 1974. The price of gasoline has risen ten-fold from 53¢ a gallon and the Kingdome, which was under construction when Vince’s Renton open, has come and gone. Dungeons and Dragons, now owned by Renton-based Wizards of the Coast, was first published in 1974, the same year that the Seattle Seahawks were established.
It was also common in the 1970s for middle schoolers to work in restaurants and fast-food establishments. Mottola himself began bussing tables at age 13 and took over the helm of the restaurant company at age 23 in 1983 along with partner Fred Martichuski, who recently retired. Dave Dorough began working part-time at a Vince Italian Restaurant as an eighth grader and is the company’s longest-serving employee.
“I have stayed here all these years because I really believe in what we do. To see how happy people are after eating at our restaurants is a special type of joy that I really value, and few types of work give that kind of satisfaction,” says Dorough.
Vince’s Renton’s 50-year anniversary celebrations begin at 3:30 p.m. at 2815 NE Sunset Boulevard in Renton. There will be drawings and dine-in specials at 1974 prices including spaghetti and marinara sauce for $2, spaghetti and meatballs for $2.35 and Piccola pizza with one topping for $1.90. The grand prize is a free pizza once a month for a year or an Italian feast for 12 in a private dining room. Specials are for dine-in only and are first come, first serve. No reservations are being taken during the anniversary events.
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About Vince’s Italian Restaurants
In 1957 Vince and Ada Mottola, recent immigrants from Naples, Italy, opened a restaurant in Seattle’s Rainier Valley to celebrate their passion for the food of their hometown. Vince’s Italian Restaurant now has locations in Renton, Burien and Federal Way and is still family-owned and -operated. They have expanded the restaurant group to include the certified-Neapolitan Pizzeria Pulcinella in South Seattle and Via Marina in Des Moines, Washington. Former locations of Vince’s Italian Restaurants were in Rainier Beach, Bellevue, Lake City, Queen Anne, Pioneer Square, University District and Tacoma. Together the restaurants have served generations of Washingtonians and contributed to the vitality and culture of the communities where they are located. For more information, visit vincesrestaurants.com or call Vince Mottola at 253-887-9700.
