3 Sisters Dining Room
The 3 Sisters Dining Room, with Tony's Bar, was an Italian restaurant at 736 W. Washington Ave. It opened in August 1948 as the 3 Sisters Pompeii Dining Room[1]. It was advertising "Pizza Pie" a month later, and when The Grotto called itself "the new home of Pizza Pie" in January 1949 the 3 Sisters answered, "YES we're still the home of PIZZA PIE"[2][3][4].
History
The three sisters were Josie Schuepbach, Mary Schiro and Santina Koeppel, from the Greenbush neighborhood[5]. The grand opening ad of August 6, 1948, offered Italian dishes and steaks, "mixed & fancy drinks," and hours from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.[1]
By June 1954 Mary Schiro was running the Grotto on State Street with Al Schiro; its ad announced that "One of the Three Sisters of the famous 3-Sisters Dining Room is now operating the GROTTO Restaurant"[6]. In May 1956 the 3 Sisters was "Back at last!" as the Three Sisters Restaurant and Lounge, with Italian and American foods[7]. Josie Schuepbach, who ran the kitchen at "Tony's on W. Washington," opened her own Josie’s Spaghetti House in 1964[5].
A 1984 review says the sisters owned "Three Sisters at State and Johnson"; the restaurant's own ads put it at 736 W. Washington Ave.[5] Whether there was a second location, and when the 3 Sisters closed, have not been found.
Pizza
- 1948: "Have you tried our Italian Style Stuffed Round Steak or Pizza Pie," a weekly ad from September to December[2].
- January 1949: "PIZZA PIE PIZZA PIE PIZZA — YES we're still the home of PIZZA PIE," the answer to the Grotto's opening ad[4].
Locations
- 736 W. Washington Ave. (from August 1948; again from 1956).
See also
- The Grotto
- Josie’s Spaghetti House
- 1940s (decade)
- 3 Sisters Dining Room in the Madison Pizza Wiki database
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (1948, August 6). "Grand Opening — 3 Sisters Pompeii Dining, 736 W. Washington Ave.": Italian dishes, steaks; mixed and fancy drinks; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 6. Newspapers.com image 405026041.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 (1948, September 10). 3 Sisters Pompeii Dining Room, 736 W. Washington Ave.: "Have you tried our ... Pizza Pie". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 21. Newspapers.com image 404751332.
- ↑ (1949, January 9). "It's called Pizza Pie ... and in our new Italian Grotto we make the best" — The Grotto (formerly Busch's Tea Room). Wisconsin State Journal. p. 40. Newspapers.com image 401293135.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 (1949, January 14). "Pizza Pie Pizza Pie Pizza — Yes we're still the home of Pizza Pie" — 3 Sisters Dining Room, Tony's Bar, 736 W. Washington Ave. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 11. Newspapers.com image 401296779.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Schubert, S. (1984, January 15). "Good food and service are a tradition at Josie's." Wisconsin State Journal. p. 86. Newspapers.com image 402656445.
- ↑ (1954, June 18). "One of the Three Sisters of the famous 3-Sisters Dining Room is now operating the Grotto Restaurant and Flamingo Bar, 636 State Street — Al and Mary Schiro, Props.". The Capital Times. p. 26. Newspapers.com image 518353707.
- ↑ (1956, May 4). "Back at last! Three Sisters Restaurant and Lounge", 736 W. Wash. Ave.: Italian and American foods. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 24. Newspapers.com image 396601091.
