Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
ALTON - The old team at Alton’s The Pasta House Co. will meet again at an upcoming reunion party.
Previous Pasta House employees, friends and customers are invited to The Lovejoy at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, to reminisce and celebrate. There will be a cash bar and Matt Taul will play from 7–10 p.m.
“I think it’s going to be a great time,” said Greg Franklin, who organized the reunion with Roland DeGregorio. “Just the idea, everybody was so enthusiastic about it. You talk to somebody and say, ‘Hey, what do you think of this idea?’ And they would be like, ‘Man, that’s going to be such a good time.’”
Franklin remembers having a lot of fun as a Pasta House employee. The restaurant opened on Aug. 4, 1986, and Franklin worked there from 1988–1993. He said he “learned a lot” and he is excited to see his old coworkers again.
“It was fantastic, actually. It was old-school, a lot of employees, 18- to 30-year-olds and it got pretty wild, too. We had a good time and we all hung out and everything. I’m looking forward to seeing some people I haven’t seen in 30 years, maybe,” he said. “You see all the people that used to work there when we were kids and you see them now all grown-up and successful with families and everything. It’s neat.”
The Lovejoy, located at 401 Piasa Street, often hosts events at their event center, patio, warehouse and lodge. But owner Russ Smith noted that this is a “unique” event that he is looking forward to.
He hopes to see a lot of people at The Lovejoy that night and at their many upcoming events, including a bluegrass open mic night on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Going forward, The Lovejoy will host a bluegrass open mic from 2–5 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month.
“We love to have events there,” Smith noted. “This is a unique event, which we love to do, and we’re always open to hearing ideas. When Greg came up with it, it was, yeah, just a perfect fit, and we’re lucky to be able to have it.”
Greg and Smith said that The Lovejoy will be serving some Pasta House favorites that night, and they invite everyone who ever had a connection to the Pasta House to come out and spend the evening together. Whether you were front-of-house, back-of-house or just a big pasta fan, you’re invited.
“It was a unique place in that it was a Pasta House franchise but it had the feel of a hometown restaurant,” Greg added. “We’re not too particular about who comes to this. We just want to get people in there and have a good time…Let’s see some faces we haven’t seen in a while.”
The Pasta House Co. reunion will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at The Lovejoy in Alton.
More like this:
