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Prince Pizza Route One Saugus MA

Route One Saugus MA — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:05:24 +0000

Prince Pizza Route One Saugus – Our Story

CLICK HERE for the OFFICIAL Prince Pizzeria Website!

JFK was our young new president. Elvis, Roy Orbison and Patsy Kline topped the charts. A large pizza cost a buck. WWII Veteran Arthur Castraberti had a wife, three young children, a good education and a great job with Prince Spaghetti in Lowell, MA.

The year was 1961 and Arthur’s life was about to change.

Prince Spaghetti owned a 12 seat drive-in pizza stand and “spaghetti house” in Saugus—often referred to as an Italian Howard Johnson’s. It was losing money. Prince’s president thought Arthur could turn it around. He had no idea just how right he was. But Arthur was not interested in management by committee. He wanted to own the place.

Arthur and Prince made a deal. No money down, no interest. Arthur had to make good on the failed business’ debts in 10 years and the place was his.

“I had never been in a restaurant kitchen until I bought one,” says Arthur. “When I walked in, I saw two employees—a waitress in the corner reading, and a cook flat on his back asleep. I introduced myself and fired them both. ’But how will you run the place without us?’ they protested. ‘Oh, a great deal better, I imagine.’“

Arthur called his 65 year old father, Oreste. “You know how to make sauce, don’t you pop? Well, I could use your help.” Oreste, a talented cook, worked with Arthur to develop the original Prince Sauce that has made them famous today.

Sales climbed, but they were not enough to cover the debt. “I owed more than I ever thought I could pay. That was my incentive to work harder,” says Arthur. With a family to support and a mortgage every month, Arthur needed income and the restaurant did not make enough for him to draw a salary. So Arthur taught school. Every weekday, he would race from school to the restaurant and work until closing. Weekends he just worked at the restaurant. There were no employees. “It was a terrible time,” he laughs today.

After five long years of tremendously hard work, Arthur began to sense some progress. “I cleaned up the place; gave it heart.” Arthur had transformed Prince into a warm family restaurant where people can relax. He gave huge discounts to the Little League teams, who considered Prince their second home. Seniors received a free meal on Arthur’s parents’ birthdays—a tradition still practiced today.

“I sowed the seeds of my success when I could least afford it,” remembers Arthur fondly. “I took in the kids and the seniors and now those kids come back with their own families and their own teams.”

A few years later, Arthur had finally saved enough money to expand the restaurant. “Every part of this building is an appendage of my body,” asserts Arthur today. “Every expansion was paid for in cash. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

After several expansions over a 10 year period, Prince boasted a large dining room and three function rooms. Then in 1978, Prince added the highly successful 175 seat Giggles Comedy Club, which is now sold out almost every week. Prince Restaurant currently offers seating for about 700 people.

For 44 years, while growing Prince Restaurant into a legendary icon, Arthur Castraberti became known as one of the Boston Area’s most successful restaurateurs. During that time, he poured his heart into the community. He became president of the Route 1 Business Association, founded the Saugus Chamber of Commerce and supported dozens of charities including the Little Leagues, local schools, the Neurofibromatosis and Make a Wish Foundations and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

According to the Boston Globe, Arthur Castraberti is “is one of the visionary entrepreneurs who built Route 1 as we know and love it.”

In 2005, Arthur’s son, Steven, took over ownership of Prince Pizzeria and runs it with his wife, Trisha, who oversees finance, marketing and recently redesigned the Comedy Club and function Rooms.

Steven and Trisha are both active in the community, supporting schools, sports teams and charities. Trisha serves on the North Shore Music Theatre Board of Trustees and was nominated for the honor of 2007 North of Boston Businesswoman of the Year.

Arthur is still actively involved, dividing his time between Gloucester, MA and Sarasota Florida, where he volunteers at in the Cardiac Rehab unit of Doctor’s Hospital.

“Steven is doing an excellent job,” says Arthur Castraberti, “We’re just a family business. We worked hard. We still work hard. We live a good life and don’t worry about what the competition does. We focus on what we do.”

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Billy Costa Reviews Prince Pizzeria Route 1 Saugus on T.V. Diner!

Prince Pizzeria has received numerous awards, including being voted Best Pizza of the North Shore and is often called, “one of our favorite family-style restaurants in New England,” as VisitNewEngland.com puts it. The Phantom Gourmet says Prince is “ideal for feeding a family or a party.”

Don’t take their word for it. Come in and see for yourself. You’ll feel part of the family in no time.

Kowloon Bob Wong – URGENT – Say NO to the Rollback!

Route One Saugus MA — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:57:28 +0000

Kowloon – An Urgent Message to the Town of Saugus

From the Kowloon Restaurant Owners & Employees

Please Say NO to the Rollback!!! Call your Selectmen Now: 781-231-4124

Why this Message:

This is a movement by a group of residents to have operating hours of Liquor License holders’ rollback to 1 am.
This would be Absolutely Devastating to our businesses and the livelihood of our employees.
We a Family Owned, independent restaurant that has been in Saugus 59 years!!!! (Only Kowloon and Prince are owned by the original families) Longer than most residents have lived in Saugus.
Using a broad stroke and blanket approach to solve isolated problems is not FAIR!

We can’t afford to lose more hours!

A few years ago… we had already suffered a 10% Loss in Sales after a 2 hour rollback of our hours from 3:30 to 1:30 am! And we will lose another 10% if our hours are cut again.

We can’t and our employees can’t afford to lost anymore income

Although other restaurants such as McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, and I-Hop are allowed to stay open (24 Hours!)… Because we are a liquor license holder… we have to force all of our customers out of the building by 2:00 am.

Even though NO LIQOUR is served after 2:00 am we are not allowed to sell food or even take-out orders after that hour! And our doors have to be locked at 1:15 am so no new customers can enter.

Do you know what impact this new rollback will have on us? (As well as others)

If the rollback succeeds we will have to FORCE all of our customers out of the building by 1:00 am.
That means we must lock our doors at 12:15 (just after midnight) So that any new customers will be out in time!!!
We do over 10% of food and beverage business after MIDNIGHT!

List of some people we will lose:

We attract a well behaved crowd looking for a place to go, why else would parents form all over, drop off their school aged children after a school dance, prom, drama club play, or other reasons (all after midnight!!!)
We attract workers leaving their late night jobs. Such as airline employees, other restaurant employees, hospital workers and many others.
We attract people coming back after a show, a movie or sporting event looking for a late night snack or meal.
We also attract numerous celebrities. Such as professional wrestlers, (70 of them recently… after their event)
Red Sox owner John Henry and actor Don Wahlberg have stopped by after a concert.
Professional athletes come in after the game.
All of these people need and want a place to go after MIDNIGHT.
We have already lost a large portion of these customers from the last rollback and now we stand to lose EVEN MORE!!!

Why do this to us AGAIN?

We are in a terrible recession and business is already down!!!
It’s ironic that the town voted to increase local meals tax to 7% there by receiving ¾% in local aid to help solve our fiscal crisis during this very BAD ECONOMY.
Our costs are constantly RISING! (as everyone’s are!)
- The Kowloon has not laid off a single person (we have over 250 employees that depend on us!)
- Mandatory Health Insurance has increased our costs!
- Water and Sewer rates increased. We now pay over $300,000 yearly.
- Real Estate Tax – approximately $280,000 yearly.
- Gas and Electric – over $350,000 yearly.

People do not flock to us from other towns for last call!!! We lock our doors at 1:15 am – and they would never make it in time.

We are good citizens!

We feel we have been good partners in the community and will always give back.
Does the majority of the community want to do this to us??? Or is it only the wish of a few? And Why?
We strongly urge many of the people involved with various organizations in town, to let our leaders know you support us. We could use your voice, phone calls to you selectmen, and help!!!

The Solution:

So before you decide on creating a one-size fits all remedy please remember you do have alternative.

You can treat each establishment individually. If there is a pattern of abuse or problem the town can take action on each separately.

Our town leaders should be aware that they do have alternatives, and obligations to not only take care of its problems but also to let Good Business and Community Partners thrive and succeed.

We have been here 59 years and have been loyal and hopefully good for the town… and it would be EXTREMELY unfair (again!) for a few people in Saugus to be able to judge all liquor license holders the same. We are not!

Respectfully on behalf of the Wong family and our employees,

- Bob Wong

Route 1 News – $2 Million Bel-Aire Diner Revival Project

Route One Saugus MA — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:51:40 +0000

Article Courtesy of: The Boston Globe

PEABODY – Closed for three years, Bel-Aire Diner could become the star of a $2 million project to make an old truck stop once again a must-stop on Route 1.

The vintage diner, built in 1952, would be refurbished and moved on the 3.6-acre site, where a new building will house a gas station and a 24-hour convenience store. The project is the first proposed since industrial zoning was changed to allow for retail stores and restaurants to open on the two-lane roadway.

“A truck stop needs to be able to take advantage of a highway,’’ said John Kallas, 51, a second-generation owner who runs a Best gas station on the site. “The diner will be our centerpiece.’’

The new Bel-Aire would be a welcome change for the northern corridor of Route 1 in Peabody and Danvers. With a few exceptions, such as the new Sonic burger joint and Latitude sports club in Peabody, and DiLuigi’s Sausage Co. in Danvers, most major developments have stalled in the stubborn economy. “Very few people out there now are taking risks,’’ noted David Ankeles, a Peabody lawyer whose clients include the Kallas family.

A lack of financing scuttled plans for an 80,000-square-foot family entertainment center proposed for the closed Country Side Motel site in Peabody. Farther south, a Starbucks and a small retail strip was never built at a former Burger King site. Foreclosure claimed a 36,000-square-foot office building that once housed East West Mortgage, which moved to Worcester. The property, including old cubicles, desks, and chairs, is for sale for $3.5 million by Wainwright Bank of Boston.

On the north side, the Carriage House Motel remains for sale, after a proposal for a soccer facility never got going. Bennigan’s restaurant is still empty, months after its parent company filed for bankruptcy, although the property is said to be under agreement. In Danvers, Tequilas restaurant, a popular dance spot, is for sale for $1.8 million, according to a broker. Circuit City has been vacant for nine months, since the national electronics chain closed stores across the country last spring.

“Part of the problem is that there are just so many vacancies and ‘for lease’ signs on Route 1,’’ said Jonathan Martin, assistant vice president at Colliers Meredith & Grew, a Boston-based real estate firm that is marketing the property.

The empty stores concern local officials. “Route 1 is one of our revenue generators,’’ said Mayor Michael Bonfanti of Peabody. “It’s like anything else in a bad economy. People don’t start new businesses. Vacancy rates rise. That’s detrimental to everybody.’’

Said Karen Nelson, the Danvers planning director: “From a job-loss standpoint, and tax revenue, it’s a concern. But development goes in cycles. I am confident, in time, that we’ll start getting inquiries on those sites.’’

The slowdown comes in stark contrast to Route 1 in Saugus. That stretch of the highway has had a retail boom in the last year, with national retailers investing millions of dollars. But those projects were in the pipeline long before the economy tanked last year, an analyst said.

“Saugus has experienced the reverse effect,’’ said Todd Finard, a principal at Finard Properties of Burlington, a commercial real estate firm that owns a strip mall on Route 1 in Saugus. “A lot of projects were well along before things turned . . . A lot of other projects were in the wrong place at the wrong time.’’

Route 1 in Peabody and Danvers is a four-lane divided highway. Its eclectic mix of uses includes mobile home parks and gas stations along with warehouse stores and strip malls. Lawyers representing Route 1 developers and property owners agreed the economy is the main reason projects have stalled.

“There was a time of significant opportunity,’’ said John Keilty, a Peabody lawyer who represents many developers before city boards. “I hope it hasn’t passed us by as a community.’’

“There are good parcels of land out there,’’ said Ankeles, whose clients also include owners of the Carriage House Motel. “My hope is that the parcel will get redeveloped.’’

A soccer facility and fast food restaurants have been eyed for the five-acre site, but none has panned out. The owners have also asked an adjoining landowner about combining parcels, but were rebuffed, Ankeles said. “That would improve access to the site,’’ he said. “It would make it more marketable.’’

The 16-acre Country Side Motel site is one of the largest parcels on Route 1 in Peabody. Permits for a family entertainment complex proposed by developer Richard Marchese have expired. It’s back to the drawing board for any new development, said Keilty, the lawyer for the project.

“We’re starting over,’’ said Keilty. “He’s trying to identify tenants or users that make development of the site worthwhile.’’

Prospects on the pike may not be all bleak. Bennigan’s could become a North End-style restaurant. A Virginia company that holds a first mortgage company notified the Peabody tax collector that the property is under agreement, and back taxes totaling $40,000 will be paid in January, city collector Steve Yokas said. Tequilas restaurant has drawn interest from at least two potential buyers, each of whom could be close to making an offer, according to the real estate broker.

“It’s tough sledding out there, but we’re negotiating with two groups,’’ said Pat Paladino, a senior vice president at Colliers Meredith & Grew, the listing agent. “We’re optimistic we’ll get a deal done.’’

The former East West Mortgage building hit the auction block, after the property owner could no longer make mortgage payments. East West leased the building. On the market for one month, the property has drawn interest, said Steve Young, a Wainwright Bank spokesman.

“There is a considerable amount of interest from several different parties,’’ he said. “It’s a nice build out, a nice design that you don’t often see on that end of Route 1.’’

Bel-Aire Diner probably could bring the first visible sign of progress. Kallas said he is close to obtaining financing. “We’re ready to go. We hope to get the foundation in before winter,’’ said Kallas, whose family has owned the property for 57 years.

The diner closed three years ago. Since then, John Kallas has operated the Best gas station, where 18-wheelers still pull in for gas and a truck wash. But truckers still are hungry for the diner’s sausage and eggs.

“We’re the only truck stop around here,’’ Kallas said. “Even in a weak economy, truck stops do well. People have to eat.’’

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.

Hilltop Steak House Route One Saugus MA

Route One Saugus MA — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:45:38 +0000

History

In 1961 Frank Giuffrida bought a club in Saugus that he converted into a western-style steakhouse. With his wife Irene, as the hostess, they worked seven days a week and before long the Hilltop became the number One Steakhouse, a title it still holds today. Frank was soon known to be the “king of the Hill” serving over three million customers annually. His success was largely due to his generous nature, which he reflected into his business with great quality and quantity. The Hilltop is still known today for it’s quality and generous portions at a great value.

Over the course of the past 40 years Hilltop has won numerous awards and accolades. Most recently Hilltop was awarded #1 Steakhouse (City search 2003), #2 Independent Restaurant (Restaurant & Institutions Magazine 2002) and many more.

Dick Monfort of High Country Investors in Colorado, acquired assets of the Saugus Hilltop In October 1994.

The Hilltop Steak House Restaurant in Saugus has five rooms function rooms for business meetings, bridal showers, family events, and elegant weddings.

We also offer an off premise catering division called “The Chuck Wagon”. The Chuck Wagon concept is simple. With a minimum of fifty people you can hire us to do a barbecue anywhere, corporate or private. We come to your place of business, backyard, park, beach etc. We cook and serve a menu that you pre-select. We bring everything needed for a barbecue. Grills, chefs, wait staff, buffet tables, all paper goods, condiments etc. We cook, serve and clean up.

The Chuck Wagon has been very popular and has blossomed into a full service catering business. In addition to our now famous barbecues, we do clam bakes, weddings, showers, anniversaries, holiday parties etc. A sampling of our menu is available online at the host station and in the catering office.