By Matt Robinson
Contributing Writer
SAUGUS – The giant sausage and the orange dinosaur is gone and the Hilltop Steakhouse cows have moved on to greener fiberglass pastures. But while we wait for the Forbidden City of Kowloon to be turned into a comedy hall of fame, one thing remains the same on Route 1 Saugus—the leaning tower of Pisa that marks the legendary Prince Pizza restaurant.
Neapolitan family roots
When Oreste and Rosalia Castraberti moved from Naples, Italy, to Massachusetts in 1920, little did they know that they would be the creators of a family food empire that has lasted and served generations.
Had it not been for their son Arthur, the story might have been drastically different. Fortunately, the family knew when to stir the pot and when to let it simmer.
Photo/Submitted
Arthur was born in 1924 in Somerville. After getting bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biochemistry at UMass and serving in the Army during World War II, Arthur worked for the Canada Dry Corporation and Prince Macaroni Manufacturing Company, the latter of which was owned by Joseph Pellegrino and based in Lowell.
While at Prince, Arthur had his father hired to work alongside him, travelling throughout the region selling boxes of pasta to grocery stores.
By 1959, the Pellegrino family had opened five restaurants, in Lowell, Quincy, Yarmouth, Boston, and Saugus. But only a few years later, they decided to focus on manufacturing and chose to sell all of the restaurants. It was in 1961 that Arthur was offered what was then a not-so-successful pizza stand in Saugus. Arthur ended up buying the place outright.
Early struggles
“I had never been in the kitchen of a restaurant prior to buying one,” Castraberti recalled years later in a history of the business the family compiled. “I walked in. There were two employees. The waitress was in the corner reading a book. The cook was flat on his back asleep. I introduced myself as the new owner, then I fired them.”
When the disgruntled former staff asked Arthur how he would run the place without them, he replied, “I hope a great deal better!”
As he was also employed at the time as a teacher, Arthur would rush to the restaurant every day after school and stay there until closing. Despite his dedication, the pizza and pasta restaurant floundered.
“It was a terrible time,” Arthur admitted. “I had three kids and a house with a mortgage. And I didn’t have enough sales to draw a salary. That was my incentive.”
Unwilling to give up, Arthur stayed up nights at the restaurant for five years, during which he did what he could to spiff up the venue and the menu.
“I wanted to create a family place,” the family-minded man said.
Turning the business around
By offering free meals to elderly customers on the anniversaries of Arthur’s parents’ birth and making their place a fun and safe place for kids and families to come, Arthur and his family began to turn the restaurant around.
“The Little League teams began to think of the Prince Spaghetti House as their second home,” Arthur remembered. “And now those Little League kids come back with their own teams and families!”
In 2002, Arthur’s son Steven and daughter-in-law Trish took over and expanded it into what is now one of the largest independent owned pizzerias in America. Despite the changes and growth, and Arthur’s passing in 2011, the family traditions remain.
Photo/Submitted
“Many of our recipes are original Castraberti family recipes from Italy,” Trish maintained. “Since the beginning, we have had essentially the same meatballs, dough and sauce.”
Growth through innovation
In addition to honoring the family traditions, the family also does what it can to pay tribute to their neighbors on Route 1 and recently released a meatball eggroll to salute the Wong family, owners of the Kownloon Chinese restaurant across the street.
They have also expanded their reach by selling “Take ‘n Bake” pizza products at stores throughout the area and by expanding their takeout and catering business.
Another neighbor with whom they have partnered is Mike Clarke, brother of legendary comic Lenny Clarke. In an effort to support the many great comedians who make Boston home and make people around the world laugh, Clarke opened up Giggles Comedy Club in the Prince building in 1989.
“Mike was looking to start his own comedy club,” Trish explained, noting how the addition has helped keep Prince’s 700 seats filled almost every night there is a show. “This business was created on a handshake by Mike and Steven with a plan and good intentions. Thirty-five years later, we believe it was one of the best business decisions we’ve made!”
With help from their daughter Lily (who recently graduated from college and helps with the restaurant’s social media and analytics), the Castraberti family looks forward to even more growth and success.
“We are proud of every one of our most loyal staff members,” Trish said, thanking the nearly 80 people who keep the tower leaning and the delicious food and great fun coming (over 20 of whom have been with the family for more than 10 years). “Without these people, we would not be who we are.”
Trish also noted that there have been multiple offers to purchase the restaurant from her family, but she said, “It’s just too much a part of our lives!”
This seems to be the case for many people in the area as well,
“We love when we host [multiple] generations of families together at the same table and talk with them about when then came for dinner here back in the 1960s,” said Trish. “Steven knows them all by name—that matters!”
So even if you miss the mini-golf and live jazz that used to bring people to Route 1, Prince Pizza is still there to fill your belly with pasta, pizza, and laughter.
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