Frank and Mary Presciutti, owners of Russo’s Pizza located in Greece, have been in the pizza business since 1976. The same year they got married. They have worked together for most of those 44 years. They have always prided their establishment as a step ahead when it comes to safety and public health. Frank recalls back in the 60s pizzerias would use a plywood table with holes for pizza topping containers to make their pizzas. That was the standard back then. “In 1976, when we opened our first pizzeria in Chili, I decided that the pizza prep table should be refrigerated,” Frank said. There were no refrigerated pizza prep tables at the time, so out of concern for health and safety, Frank had one custom made by a local fabricator. Perhaps the first person to do so in the Monroe County area, and years before the Health Department decided that it was a good idea. Frank designed the kitchen in their current location himself with several path areas to get around the equipment. At the time, his goal was to have a kitchen that could have up to fourteen crew members move around freely during the Super Bowl; a day much, much busier than any other. Of course, that makes a lot of room for his usual crew of three to seven people.
As far back as March 11th, Russo’s Pizza has taken steps to deal with the corona virus situation. Immediately they turned off the heating and air conditioning unit to preventively avoid transmission of the virus through the duct system. The following day, seven days prior to New York State requiring restaurants to close for dine in, Frank closed the dining room and made about 480 sq. ft. available for social distancing. He also designated the main entrance door for customers to come in, and the dining room door as the exit door, eliminating close contact between customers while coming in and leaving. By March 16th, a plastic shield was placed at the pickup counter to prevent the possibility of transmission of the virus. Every morning Frank and Mary sanitize, making the pizzeria safe for their crew and for their patrons. Nobody was allowed in the kitchen except for the crew. If anyone on the crew showed signs of any sickness whatsoever, they were excused from work. Russo’s has three phone lines and each phone has a dedicated employee to take orders from, reducing the possibility of using shared phones. “We have been ahead of most other businesses in our actions to safeguard against the virus. It’s called common sense,” Frank said.
After sanitizing their store and preparing to open, Frank and Mary make two to three meals for people and bring it to them. They do this almost every day. So far they have provided meals for over 200 people including the staff of the intensive care units at Rochester General and Unity Hospitals.
Frank, Mary and the team at Russo’s want to thank their many patrons for supporting them during this difficult time. The Russo’s team will be there to provide you with a safe environment, a high quality product and friendly service. The Presciutti’s Christian Faith teaches them to be an example to others and to be servants to others. “God gives strength, wisdom and peace to those who ask. With His help, we will all get through this difficult time.”
