Rossi's Pizza & Vintage Arcade
Rossi's Pizza & Vintage Arcade was a Monona pizzeria that opened in 2003 and closed in 2022[1].
History
Ross Parisi founded Rossi's in 2003 and moved it to 4503 Monona Dr. in 2011. It had 55 video games at a quarter a game, and served no beer or wine, so children were safe in the game room. Business picked up after the COVID-19 restrictions lifted, but Parisi could not find staff and worked 12 to 14 hours a day for six months. He closed on May 31, 2022, after 19 years: "It wasn't that my customer base wasn't there ... I just could not fill positions"[2].
He sold the restaurant to Dennis and Savannah Laubner, who reopened it as North Shore Pizza and Subs on August 22, 2022, keeping the arcade[2][3].
A 2012 column found the Monona restaurant outgrown already: a slice and a soda for $3, an Apple Betty dessert pizza, and a 1980s arcade with Donkey Kong, Joust and a Dr. Who pinball machine[4]. In October 2014 Parisi was looking at three sites on the Madison–Middleton border for a second, larger restaurant with 80 to 100 games — "We grew out of this six months after we moved in"[5].
Pizza
Rossi's was known for a 30 inch pizza, perhaps the largest in Wisconsin. The crust was thin[2].
Locations
- 4503 Monona Dr. (last location; about 2011 to May 31, 2022)[2][5]. The first location, from 2003, has not been found.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2022, July 8). "The bells and beeps silenced." Wisconsin State Journal. p. A3. Cited on an earlier version of this wiki; not re-read.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Kalk Derby, S. (2022, July 7). "Rossi's Pizza, a local institution known for its arcade and 30-inch pies, closes in Monona." madison.com.
- ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2022, November 4). "Restaurant review: North Shore Pizza and Subs a welcome addition to Monona Drive." madison.com.
- ↑ Bedford, S. (2012, September 5). "Let's Eat for $7.70: Relive your salad days with pizza and Pac-Man at Rossi's." madison.com.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kalk Derby, S. (2014, October 9). "Restaurant News: 'Best pizza on the planet' venturing west." madison.com.
