YORK, Pa. — Get ready for the return of stromboli: beloved York restaurant Vito's Pizza & Beer will reopen after more than a year with its doors shut.
The restaurant's owners announced the return to the community in a Facebook post on Tuesday, vowing to reopen the eatery "just as it was" before it closed in 2020.
As one of the many small business victims of the coronavirus, Vito's closed its doors on Oct. 25 of the pandemic's inaugural year in the U.S. The building that used to be filled with crowds of satisfied customers remained standing on 1734 S. Queen St. ever since.
Now, just in time for its 60th anniversary, the restaurant's owners and staff say they are eagerly preparing to once again serve up the same recipes, ingredients and atmosphere when they reopen Vito's on a to-be-decided date in the near future.
According to the restaurant's Facebook post, a former employee is responsible for helping with Vito's resurrection. The journey back to Queen Street began with a mere text.
"Seven months ago on Labor Day weekend, the rebuilding process began when a former, longtime employee took a leap of faith and sent a text message to the owners of Vito's Pizza, telling them of his hopes to reopen the restaurant," wrote the owners in the post.
The former employee, David M. Kopp, then enlisted the help of his business partner, Fredy Molina, to make the dream possible. Like Kopp, many other former staff members are also returning, ready to greet the community again when the restaurant reopens.
Vito's first opened in York in 1962 and moved to its current location in 1974. A two-generation, family-owned and -operated institution, its owners are the children of "two young Sicilian immigrants with the American dream" who built the menu around traditional family recipes.
Famous for its tasty pizza and wide-ranging beer list, community members are excited to welcome Vito's back into their lives. The restaurant's Facebook announcement already boasts more than one thousand likes and 200 comments filled with celebratory emojis and recollections of favorite menu items.
The restaurant owners say the community can expect more details on the reopening soon.
Until then, sweet, anticipatory dreams of pizza burger subs await.
