Giuseppe’s restaurant and bakery doubles its space at 40 Spencerport Rd.
On a Saturday morning, people are already streaming in the bakery/take-out side of Giuseppe’s restaurant in Gates. Tucked in a corner of FWS Plaza at 40 Spencerport Road, you would think location would be a hindrance to the success of this family-owned business, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Back in 1927, the seed for the business was planted by Joseph (Giuseppe) Petrillo, grandfather of Joe Chinappi, current owner. The first location at Verona and State Streets moved to Jay Street a few years later and was run by Petrillo, a native of Naples, Italy, and his siblings – Theresa, Serafina (Chinappi’s mother), Rose, Thomas and Sam. The family moved the business to Gates in 1970.
“When I took over the business in 1991, I hoped that my sons would follow and want to be part of it,” said Chinappi. His wish came true. While his oldest son, Robert, went on to become a teacher, Marciano “Marcy” and Joe Jr., along with nephew, Steve, are integral to the current operation. Marcy is in charge of the kitchen and daily operations, Joe Jr. is the baker and pastry chef, and Steve is a chef. Chinappi works the night shift preparing items like sauces, greens and tripe ahead of time.
The family moved the business to its current location in 2002. “We’ve expanded a lot over the years, but we always kept my grandfather’s bread,” said Chinappi. The bakery offers regular, French, twist and round breads, plus a variety of rolls, Italian-style croutons and bread crumbs. Other family recipes for sauces, meatballs and hot sauce have been mainstays on the restaurant menu. “It’s all by hands on. None of us went to culinary school,” said Chinappi. “If you like what you’re doing, you learn it and do it.”
Over the years, the waiting times got longer in the restaurant and the family decided to expand to the next retail unit at 48 Spencerport Road to add seating. Chinappi, who has 25 years in the construction business, oversaw all of the renovations. “We started the work on January 1 and had our grand reopening on June 1. We were able to stay open for all but three of those weeks,” said Chinappi.
The expansion provided an extra 2,500 square feet bringing the total retail space to 5,300 square feet. The bakery/take-out area was relocated to the new space, doubling the seating capacity in the dining room and providing space for two private dining rooms, one that seats 30 and another that seats 15-18. “We hold a lot of showers and corporate events in those rooms and use it as our overflow seating,” said Chinappi. The whole area received new flooring, paint and window treatments, and bistro-style seating was added to the bakery/take-out area.
In addition to the restaurant, take-out and bakery, which are open seven days a week, Giuseppe’s does a huge catering business. All of this is accomplished with a staff of only 25 people. “The people that we have are dedicated to Giuseppe’s,” said Chinappi.
Giuseppe’s is located at 40 Spencerport Road in the FWS Plaza. The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. daily. The bakery/take-out area is open Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. For more information, call 429-6540/426-3397.
Photos by G. Griffee
