East County Is Ready for Dinner
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
Sept. 30, 2001
PITTSBURG -- Krispy Kreme, purveyor of all things round and glazed, hardly fits the classic definition of a restaurant.
But in Pittsburg, the venerable doughnut maker from Winston-Salem, N.C., is being hailed as the first diner at a budding freeway center that city officials are calling "restaurant row." Krispy Kreme, scheduled to open Oct. 23, is a national phenomenon whose famed fryers dunk about 5 million doughnuts a day.
Nonetheless, its arrival in East Contra Costa underscores the struggle city leaders face in trying to attract good-quality sit-down restaurants in a region long known for its gritty reputation and blue-collar tastes.
Despite a decade of unprecedented growth, East County's rural landscape is dotted with neon-flickering fast-food joints and drive-through markets.
Many new residents of Antioch and Pittsburg, who paid $300,000 to $400,000 for their stucco shelters, clamor for a broader menu than beef tacos and double-bacon cheeseburgers.
Even some people who grew up in the area have grown tired of chewing the fat.
"I think there's a serious shortage out here," said longtime Bethel Island resident Louise Lincoln, tossing a sack of Foster's Freeze into the cab of her truck.
"Many times, we have to drive over the hill to Concord and Walnut Creek for something good."
Community leaders, however, have been unable to convince some developers that the region has grown up enough to improve its diet.
"Pittsburg, particularly in the past, has had issues regarding its image," said Brad Nail, the city's economic and redevelopment coordinator.
"Pittsburg has always struggled with that. But one thing that we're excited about is this: Pittsburg has arrived.
"Those old perceptions," he added, "are no longer valid."
Indeed, the growing city is trying to distance itself from its own checkered past.
Over the summer, while the economy sizzled like a bacon strip, Mayor Frank Quesada touted Pittsburg's boom in business and residential construction.
Then, he made a dramatic announcement: Krispy Kreme and In-N-Out were heading to town and would help create restaurant row off Highway 4.
Some folks gasped. Doughnuts for dinner? But officials think the new tenants at Delta Gateway Center would serve as crucial building blocks to a potentially vibrant plaza.
In-N-Out, a hamburger institution, and Del Taco, a popular Southern California chain, are expected to arrive in Pittsburg next year, Nail said.
Nearby, at Century Plaza, there are several sit-down restaurants, including Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
It is not clear, however, when restaurant row would include a gourmet bistro.
In any case, some local restaurateurs say there are plenty of dining places with menus that have been overlooked by the newcomers.
"Once people know that we're not a private club, they come in and come back again," said John A. Zandonella, owner of Zandonella's, which opened in Pittsburg eight years ago.
The popular diner, whose banquet rooms are being booked for 2003, serves filet mignon and a full lineup of pasta dishes. Zandonella also pointed to other good area eateries, including Kelly's in Antioch and the Liberty Hotel and Snooker Pete's Bar & Grille in Pittsburg.
Take-out tastes
But whether East County folks are ready to revamp their taste buds remains to be seen.
In 1999, Antioch residents shouted down a proposal that would have banned fast-food joints in the city in favor of more upscale fare.
Mayor Don Freitas originated the plan while he was a city councilman; he had no support.
If the community keeps rolling out the red carpet to makers of all things dipped in grease, he said, Antioch would not earn the quality-of-life of a true suburb.
"I know I'm going against decades of very negative thinking: That's my biggest challenge," said Freitas, who became mayor in November. "We need to break the mind-set and raise the bar."
During the 1990s, city leadership was so misguided that potential developers steered clear, he said.
"The City Council was in turmoil and chaos, worse than the Jerry Springer Show.' Fortunately, the chairs were bolted to the ground," Freitas said. "We're still paying the price for that.
"Antioch had developed a horrible reputation," he added, "particularly in the business community."
Starved for real food
Still, no one can ignore the city's immense growth for long. New census figures show a 46 percent population increase in Antioch over the past decade.
Previously, city leaders had been using outdated population and demographic figures, said Eli Naffah, economic development director in Antioch.
In August, the Economic Development Commission recommended to the City Council to conduct a survey of restaurant owners to better understand its food market.
And as part of the renewed effort to attract places with more waiters and fewer window clerks, Antioch is working closely with a San Francisco restaurant consultant.
Still, not everyone with a white tablecloth is shying away from East County.
Leonard Amodio, 29, and his 31-year-old brother, Vincent, opened Verdi Italian Restaurant on Sept. 12.
The restaurant is located on East 18th Street, in a building that KFC used to occupy.
It includes a full bar stocked with wine, as well as tortellini with white clam sauce, chicken parmigiana and other dishes hard to find in a city with 55 sit-down restaurants.
Leonard Amodio, wearing a silk tie and pressed olive-green trousers, sat on a bench in front of his business on a warm afternoon.
"If a person is a religious fast-food junkie, we probably can't help them much," he said, glancing across the street at his neighbor, Foster's Freeze.
"But people all know, intuitively, what good food is," he added. "You can't compare a boscaiola ravioli with a cheeseburger. You just can't."
Contra Costa Newspapers
Sept. 30, 2001
PITTSBURG -- Krispy Kreme, purveyor of all things round and glazed, hardly fits the classic definition of a restaurant.
But in Pittsburg, the venerable doughnut maker from Winston-Salem, N.C., is being hailed as the first diner at a budding freeway center that city officials are calling "restaurant row." Krispy Kreme, scheduled to open Oct. 23, is a national phenomenon whose famed fryers dunk about 5 million doughnuts a day.
Nonetheless, its arrival in East Contra Costa underscores the struggle city leaders face in trying to attract good-quality sit-down restaurants in a region long known for its gritty reputation and blue-collar tastes.
Despite a decade of unprecedented growth, East County's rural landscape is dotted with neon-flickering fast-food joints and drive-through markets.
Many new residents of Antioch and Pittsburg, who paid $300,000 to $400,000 for their stucco shelters, clamor for a broader menu than beef tacos and double-bacon cheeseburgers.
Even some people who grew up in the area have grown tired of chewing the fat.
"I think there's a serious shortage out here," said longtime Bethel Island resident Louise Lincoln, tossing a sack of Foster's Freeze into the cab of her truck.
"Many times, we have to drive over the hill to Concord and Walnut Creek for something good."
Community leaders, however, have been unable to convince some developers that the region has grown up enough to improve its diet.
"Pittsburg, particularly in the past, has had issues regarding its image," said Brad Nail, the city's economic and redevelopment coordinator.
"Pittsburg has always struggled with that. But one thing that we're excited about is this: Pittsburg has arrived.
"Those old perceptions," he added, "are no longer valid."
Indeed, the growing city is trying to distance itself from its own checkered past.
Over the summer, while the economy sizzled like a bacon strip, Mayor Frank Quesada touted Pittsburg's boom in business and residential construction.
Then, he made a dramatic announcement: Krispy Kreme and In-N-Out were heading to town and would help create restaurant row off Highway 4.
Some folks gasped. Doughnuts for dinner? But officials think the new tenants at Delta Gateway Center would serve as crucial building blocks to a potentially vibrant plaza.
In-N-Out, a hamburger institution, and Del Taco, a popular Southern California chain, are expected to arrive in Pittsburg next year, Nail said.
Nearby, at Century Plaza, there are several sit-down restaurants, including Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
It is not clear, however, when restaurant row would include a gourmet bistro.
In any case, some local restaurateurs say there are plenty of dining places with menus that have been overlooked by the newcomers.
"Once people know that we're not a private club, they come in and come back again," said John A. Zandonella, owner of Zandonella's, which opened in Pittsburg eight years ago.
The popular diner, whose banquet rooms are being booked for 2003, serves filet mignon and a full lineup of pasta dishes. Zandonella also pointed to other good area eateries, including Kelly's in Antioch and the Liberty Hotel and Snooker Pete's Bar & Grille in Pittsburg.
Take-out tastes
But whether East County folks are ready to revamp their taste buds remains to be seen.
In 1999, Antioch residents shouted down a proposal that would have banned fast-food joints in the city in favor of more upscale fare.
Mayor Don Freitas originated the plan while he was a city councilman; he had no support.
If the community keeps rolling out the red carpet to makers of all things dipped in grease, he said, Antioch would not earn the quality-of-life of a true suburb.
"I know I'm going against decades of very negative thinking: That's my biggest challenge," said Freitas, who became mayor in November. "We need to break the mind-set and raise the bar."
During the 1990s, city leadership was so misguided that potential developers steered clear, he said.
"The City Council was in turmoil and chaos, worse than the Jerry Springer Show.' Fortunately, the chairs were bolted to the ground," Freitas said. "We're still paying the price for that.
"Antioch had developed a horrible reputation," he added, "particularly in the business community."
Starved for real food
Still, no one can ignore the city's immense growth for long. New census figures show a 46 percent population increase in Antioch over the past decade.
Previously, city leaders had been using outdated population and demographic figures, said Eli Naffah, economic development director in Antioch.
In August, the Economic Development Commission recommended to the City Council to conduct a survey of restaurant owners to better understand its food market.
And as part of the renewed effort to attract places with more waiters and fewer window clerks, Antioch is working closely with a San Francisco restaurant consultant.
Still, not everyone with a white tablecloth is shying away from East County.
Leonard Amodio, 29, and his 31-year-old brother, Vincent, opened Verdi Italian Restaurant on Sept. 12.
The restaurant is located on East 18th Street, in a building that KFC used to occupy.
It includes a full bar stocked with wine, as well as tortellini with white clam sauce, chicken parmigiana and other dishes hard to find in a city with 55 sit-down restaurants.
Leonard Amodio, wearing a silk tie and pressed olive-green trousers, sat on a bench in front of his business on a warm afternoon.
"If a person is a religious fast-food junkie, we probably can't help them much," he said, glancing across the street at his neighbor, Foster's Freeze.
"But people all know, intuitively, what good food is," he added. "You can't compare a boscaiola ravioli with a cheeseburger. You just can't."
posted by Corey at 2:04 PM
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