A family with 10 years in the restaurant business has brought a taste of Italy to Chester.
On April 1, Giuseppe “Joe” and Angela Amato and their two sons opened Sapori Ristorante Italiano in the Festival Park Plaza off Chester Road.
“We’re learning our customer base, but we’ve had a great response,” said Dario Amato, one of the two sons and co-owner of Sapori.
The Amatos are no strangers to the restaurant business. They’re originally from Sicily, but moved to Prince George County in 1999 to open their first pizza place, the Little Tiny Pizza Man.
“It was mainly for takeout, a 50-seat place,” said Dario.
In 2005, the family decided to move to a place double the size in Prince George and open another restaurant with the same concept, but a different name: Luca’s, after Joe’s other son.
“It was successful, a sit-down place with pasta, pizza and subs,” said Dario.
The family managed Luca’s for about five years until they decided to sell it in July to a family friend to start their next venture.
“We wanted a more casual experience and to test our culinary skills,” said Dario. “Our family was growing, so we wanted to try new things, new ideas, and something that was more of a challenge.”
In December, the family leased a 4,000-square-foot space in the Festival Park Plaza in Chester, and within five months Sapori was up and running.
Amber Amato, Dario’s wife, handles the marketing for the restaurant and said that since opening for lunch and dinner on April 1, they’ve seen a good amount of foot traffic.
“Friday was miraculous,” said Amber. “This week has been slow for lunch, but dinner has been good.”
During its first weekend, Sapori served a couple of hundred people and have already seen a few repeat customers.
The name Sapori comes from the Italian word for flavors, which Dario decided on to represent what their menu offered.
“We wanted to stay away from people’s names and what we had done before,” Dario said.
Amber said the food ranges from $10 to $20 and is a mix of the usual Italian dishes and original recipes cooked up by the family.
“It’s a fusion of traditional dishes and authentic dishes, family recipes from Italy,” Dario added.
The family has hired 20 employees and hopes to add more as soon as business picks up.
Dario said they’re also working on adding a patio by summer for dining and live music.
“We’re hoping to build clientele and be an Italian restaurant known for fresh food and fresh ingredients,” said Dario.
A family with 10 years in the restaurant business has brought a taste of Italy to Chester.
On April 1, Giuseppe “Joe” and Angela Amato and their two sons opened Sapori Ristorante Italiano in the Festival Park Plaza off Chester Road.
“We’re learning our customer base, but we’ve had a great response,” said Dario Amato, one of the two sons and co-owner of Sapori.
The Amatos are no strangers to the restaurant business. They’re originally from Sicily, but moved to Prince George County in 1999 to open their first pizza place, the Little Tiny Pizza Man.
“It was mainly for takeout, a 50-seat place,” said Dario.
In 2005, the family decided to move to a place double the size in Prince George and open another restaurant with the same concept, but a different name: Luca’s, after Joe’s other son.
“It was successful, a sit-down place with pasta, pizza and subs,” said Dario.
The family managed Luca’s for about five years until they decided to sell it in July to a family friend to start their next venture.
“We wanted a more casual experience and to test our culinary skills,” said Dario. “Our family was growing, so we wanted to try new things, new ideas, and something that was more of a challenge.”
In December, the family leased a 4,000-square-foot space in the Festival Park Plaza in Chester, and within five months Sapori was up and running.
Amber Amato, Dario’s wife, handles the marketing for the restaurant and said that since opening for lunch and dinner on April 1, they’ve seen a good amount of foot traffic.
“Friday was miraculous,” said Amber. “This week has been slow for lunch, but dinner has been good.”
During its first weekend, Sapori served a couple of hundred people and have already seen a few repeat customers.
The name Sapori comes from the Italian word for flavors, which Dario decided on to represent what their menu offered.
“We wanted to stay away from people’s names and what we had done before,” Dario said.
Amber said the food ranges from $10 to $20 and is a mix of the usual Italian dishes and original recipes cooked up by the family.
“It’s a fusion of traditional dishes and authentic dishes, family recipes from Italy,” Dario added.
The family has hired 20 employees and hopes to add more as soon as business picks up.
Dario said they’re also working on adding a patio by summer for dining and live music.
“We’re hoping to build clientele and be an Italian restaurant known for fresh food and fresh ingredients,” said Dario.
Congrats!!! Looks like you all have a great business model. We will come by and check you all out. Keep up the delicious work!!!-Kirsten
Ihad lunch there last week. The shrimp fritters were to die for!!! Keep up the great work! And the delicious food!
I have been more than once and it just keeps getting better. The food is mouth watering good and the service is getting better each time.Glad to have a great new venue in the Chester area.