WEST WYOMING, Pa. — The menu from 1972 at Marianacci's Italian Restaurant in West Wyoming shows things were a little different then. Folks could get a meal then for under a quarter.
It was at a time when the Wyoming Valley was working hard to bounce back after the flood.
"I think that we were here for a lot of families that were put out and were having a rough time," said third-generation owner Dominic Marianacci. "(It) started like that, but it's been a family adventure ever since."
Marianacci says some things have remained the same.
"The work ethic that comes from my grandfather, from my uncle, from my aunt or my father is what's driving us through here," he explained.
Marianacci says that's part of what has kept the restaurant going for five decades through recessions, a pandemic, and the hardships that followed.
"My sister is our general manager. I have another sister who buses tables and another brother who works in the kitchen. So it's all hands on deck and if we were not to have that sort of mindset, I don't know how you're going to get through something like this," he added.
Marianacci says they still have some struggles, like staffing shortages in the kitchen and dining room.
"It's a lot of new territory, really trying to figure out how to manage a restaurant in these very new times," he said.
But the customers are the main reason they are able to celebrate this milestone of an anniversary.
"Really want to thank people in our community and a lot of people who are coming out and supporting us in particular, small business stuff, and it's real, you know. You talked about it maybe in the past, and it's always great to support small business, but it's real right now, and supporting your small businesses will keep them in your communities and operating for you," said Marianacci.
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