VisitingNewEngland/Rico's Business Partnership - Local Small Business Stories
Rico's Pizzeria: a Local Legend in Walpole, Massachusetts
by Eric Hurwitz. Article updated on 11/01/16
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Rico's Pizzeria in Walpole, Massachusetts is one of those
restaurants that has become a local legend. It didn't happen by
accident.
The Stathakis family -- owners of the restaurant -- has been heavily
involved with giving back to the community for years and locals have
appreciated the generosity by reciprocating with frequent lines often
lining up outside the doors. Not your basic pizza and sub shop,
Rico's goes beyond just having a helping heart -- the food is flat-out
fantastic.
Tasos Stathakis brought his culinary passions from native Greece many
years ago, favoring ingredients like lemon, olive oil and key herbs and
spices in the right combination to bring out the flavors -- and making it liked his mom would
have in the family's kitchen. A great example: the beyond tasty chicken
kabob in the form of dinner, sub or salad that are off the charts
great. Thank goodness the portions are big so that the flavors can be
savored many times over!
Chicken kabob salad from Rico's in Walpole.
Rico's makes its delicious Greek-style pizza as well as calzones with
fresh dough daily, while the mouthwatering gyros wrap or dinner plate are better than
anything I've had at similar pizza and sub shops, full-service
restaurants and at local fairs.
What really puts Rico's over the top, however, is an original: the BJ
Wrap made with a huge serving of chicken fingers, bacon, mozzarella,
fries, and “Rebel Sauce” (a homemade honey barbecue sauce) within a
wrap. Rico’s sells this specialty dish to as many as 200 customers on
the busiest days.
The legendary BJ Wrap from Rico's in Walpole.
The BJ name started many years ago as two local high school graduates,
Brandon and Johnny, put fries in the Rebel Wrap,” according to Peter
Stathakis, general manager of Rico’s.
The Rebel sauce also remains wildly popular on its own. Rico’s features
a “Rebel Corner” section of the menu where customers order the sauce on
pizza, calzones, wraps, and subs.
Rico's has been in business since 1999, and actually has become better
through the years. Located in a postage-sized stamp storefront up
until a few years ago, Rico's moved across the street to a more larger space
with a state-of-the-art kitchen, which has allowed Tasos,
son Peter and staff to become more efficient, creative and
productive.The new location looks much nicer, seating approximately 30
with a waiting area, two televisions, a digital menu, restrooms, as
well as a “high stool area” where people can enjoy a quick bite. The
wall photos of school teams prominently remain from the past location, while the tables have
subtle blue and orange specks that represent the Walpole Rebel colors.
Updated dining room -- and walls lined up with local sports teams photos.
Peter, a highly intelligent individual working on a masters degree in
business from Western New England University in Springfield,
Massachusetts, works many hours -- as many as 80 a week -- and makes
sure that nothing gets past his or another managers' eyes without it
meeting high standards. The customer ultimately benefits.
Father and son: Tasos and Peter Stathakis, of Rico's in Walpole.
Best known for supporting local sports teams, Rico's is itself a
hall-of-fame caliber pizza and sub shop. If I had to choose five great
restaurants of this genre in the Boston area, Rico's would be on that
list. It's just a joy to see the community come out in crowds and to
taste made-from-scratch foods that clearly go way beyond what you'd
expect at this type of eatery.
Rico’s is located at 1351 Main St. in
Walpole. Telephone: 508-668-0700. Website: http://www.ricoswalpole.com/. Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/Ricos-Pizza-Walpole-195951010416145/
Editor's note:
VisitingNewEngland business partnerships started on Jan. 30, 2017, and
differ than feature articles previously posted on VisitingNewEngland.
Businesses pay a small, one-time fee to have pages like this appear,
and first must be accepted by VisitingNewEngland.com editor and
publisher, Eric Hurwitz, as a business he approves as part of "real New
England travel" to keep the integrity of the site. Businesses that sign
up for business partnerships receive priority by receiving more social
media exposure and link placement on VisitingNewEngland.com. Contact me
if interested in forming a business partnership.
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