It was only a matter of time before Grotto’s went all corporate on someone
Gone are the days when Grotto’s was a small little hole in the wall that made awesome pizza and competed with the big boys. Now, Grotto’s is the big-boys and they are “protecting” there name.
Arienzo, you see, had the misfortune to name his shop south of New Castle “Grottino,” which in his native Italian means “little cave.”
“Grotto,” on the other hand, is an Italian word — one that actually should be spelled “Grotta,” as it happens — that refers to a bigger cave. With a bigger bottom line. And way-y-y bigger lawyers
I’m pretty sure this is the same guy that used to work at the little sub shop in the Prices Corner on Rt2. I remember him about 30 pounds ago. (sorry paisano, it’s true)
So the next time you eat at Grotto’s remember how they aren’t the little guy any more and how they don’t remember what it is like to be them.
In, related news, I’m going to trademark the word “THE”. I figure I will make a killing.
If I say about any restaurant, “Boy, that was some crappy pizza”, will Grottos sue me?
Grottowski’s
Grottberg’s
Grottmann’s
Grottito’s
Grottson’s
All you guys can just cancel your business plans now, Grotto’s is onto you.
My kids insist on Grotto’s pizza, then they wake up in the middle of the night crying for water (too salty).
If you put a lot of salt in the sauce, it keeps in the frig a lot longer. Mmmmmmmmmmm, 8-week old sauce; “Could you spoon out the green, furry bits please?”
Can’t see the $2.25 a (small) slice, greasy monster winning this one.
Probably sent the owner a letter hoping they’d scare the shit out of him and just give up.
Ciao Pizza is sooooo much better – makes Grotto’s seem like something you’d find at your supermarket freezer section.
Oh yeah, Grotto’s puts butter in their sauce.
The problem with Grotto’s isn’t the sauce, though that’s no prize-winner either, it’s the lack of cheese. Cheese is the most expensive part of a pizza; every pizza I’ve ever eaten except Grotto’s actually covers the top of the pie with it. Grotto’s rips off the customer by applying it in circles, leaving big spaces where the sauce shows through. What Delawareans find appealing about this crap has always stumped me. Saying it’s supermarket pizza is an insult to the frozen stuff.
When you could only get it at the beach the differences (like the one Al describes) were quaint and interesting. Now it’s just sub par corporate pizza.
Yup Al, Frachetta’s (sp?) frozen pies are pretty decent, especially the thin crust.
“Corporate pizza”. Hahahahahaha.
Salty, greasy, sub par corporate pizza, i agree. I live within walking distance of a Grotto’s and they have home delivery. We go to Elsmere (or all places) to get our pies.
My first taste of Grotto’s was at the beach with a bunch of locals reliving high school. When the pie arrived some grabbed a fist full of napkins and started sopping up the grease on top!
Al…isn’t that grease a sign of domestic provolone rather than the tastier (more expensive) imported cheese?
what most people don’t know is they don’t use Mozzeralla, they use 3 different types of aged cheddar cheese which is why it is so greasy.
Here’s a little story about the Grotto’s mind-set.
I spent many a summer living and working down the beach, and during one particular summer (before I was 21), I applied and was hired by Grotto’s as a pizza maker. Now, prior to this job, I had over 3 years of experience making pizzas with a popular local chain (3 stores in NCC)- from making the dough and sauce by hand, mixture of cheeses, etc, to making the pies, and so on. Hell, I use to crank out 20+ quality pies an hour!
Anyway, to the point and a little insight into the Grotto’s mind-set:
My first week on the job I was told that even though I was hired as a pizza maker, my duties only would consist of pulling pies out of the oven, boxing them, and clean-up. After biting my tongue for a while, I asked one of the managers why couldn’t I make pizza even though I was hired as a pizza maker and have more experience than most of the other guys.
I still remember his reply verbatim:
“WELL, YOU DON’T KNOW TO MAKE GROTTO’S PIZZA! WE’LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOU’RE READY, NOT YOU!”
It suffices to say that I was a little surprised by the ELITIST attitude of some 40 year old seasonal worker. Just to fuck with him, I made a few slice pies for the late evening rush, without the guy noticing. Afterward, during closing clean-up, I asked the manager (who was working the counter and getting the to-go slices, my pies dammit!) if he received any complaints about the pizza, and of course he said “no”. That’s when I told him of what I did, and before he could do or say anything, I quit.
Attitude comes from the top down, so the corporate guys set the tone. Basically they are arrogant pricks, so I’m not surprised by their actions against the small pizza shop. They’d probably sue their mothers to make a buck!
Where is Ciao Pizza?
There’s a few Ciao’s:
On Delaware Ave in Wilm (right across from Trolley Sqaure)
In Prices Corner Shopping Center.
And the last doesn’t go by Ciao, but it’s run by the same group of Neopolitians – Margharita’s in Main St in Newark.
Ciao is in Trolley Square (on the corner, up from catherine Rooney’s)
Re: comment #5, it’s about time Al Mascitti commented on a topic he actually knows anything about.
Grotto Pizza, Charcoal Pit burgers, Governor Minner whatever – it’s just another example of the old Delaware Way. You like garbage! You can’t get enough of it! You know deep down it’s garbage, but you keep shoveling it down your craw because you’ve been brainwashed into believing it’s great stuff. My take on this suit against Grottino’s is that Grotto’s loyalists might be confused by a pie that doesn’t taste like ketchup on cardboard.
G –
You nailed it. As someone who came to Delaware from a place that had good pizza, I could not figure out what the heck people were going on about.
In an alternate universe where merit correlates to success Nicola Pizza is the State pizza of Delaware and Tom Noyes is the Governor.
VC,
This guy Grottino’s is one of the Ciao guys from the Prices Corner place. He had been at that store for a good 10 years I think
Actually I like the “less cheese” style. It seems well-balanced between bread, cheese, and sauce. Incredibly, some places have actually engineered a way to stuff cheese inside the pizza crust. Eewwww.
Some of the other Italian restaurant chains can’t seem to serve anything unless it has a pound of cheese melted over it, or a cream-based sauce.
balanced between bread, cheese, and sauce.
It is tao of pizza. I hate the movement toward too much cheese.
Grotto hides some of the cheese under sauce, but I agree – less cheese please.
Didn’t know that, DV.
So what did the Colonel do about Kennedy Fried Chicken?
There is also a Ciao in University Plaza. It’s hidden behind the PNC bank. By far my favorite pie!
Just for G Rex: Margherita’s is the best pizza I currently know in Delaware. The pie at Massimo’s at the Boothwyn Farmer’s Market is also excellent.
How its done.
Per pie, Grottos uses one gallon of shredded white cheddar, often it is “Sargento”. The sauce is sprayed on, using a gun in a spiral fashion, amounting to about 8 oz.
Most places put sauce on first, then sprinkle the cheese. It is this copious amount of cheese, that gives Grottos their distinctive flavor and contributes to the amount of grease that some of the previous readers have commented on.
didn’t know they use a “gun” now. used to use ladel…
Kavips: If all they use is cheddar — by the way, “gallon” is a meaningless term when you’re talking about a solid — that alone will explain the greasiness. Try it yourself at home — it doesn’t matter when you put the sauce on, cheddar is simply fatty.
Eating pizza topped with cheddar is like eating at Red Lobster. Only the type of people who wear white after Labor Day do this type of thing. “NOK (not our kind), Dear.”
Thanks for the tip, Al. I’m a big fan of Margherita’s for NY-style thin crust, so I’ll have to try Massimo’s. And the only time cheddar goes well on a pizza is when paired with ground beef, a la Peace-A-Pizza.
Response to Al
Allow my clarification: the cheese is pre shredded. It is poured from a 5 lb. bag into a plastic gallon pitcher.
As for cheddar being fatty…..all cheese is fatty, because it is made from cream. Only those cheeses made from skim milk, mozzarella being one, are low in fat….
Third world nations often use the milk from other animals…Goat cheese is the healthiest because goat’s milk is the closest to a human mother’s milk in chemical consistency. I have yet to see cheese sold commercially from the latter mammal, but if it is anything like goat cheese, I bet it is good. South Americans eat llama cheese, Tibetans eat yak cheese, and the best, to my knowledge, is the fromage de Pyrenees, which when placed on a fresh hot baguette, tastes like mutton….