It’s been a good month for Paolo’s Italian Restaurant in Kent — not only is the beloved eatery celebrating 34 years, but also a major winner for the 2024 Best of Kent awards.
This year, Paolo’s takes home first place for Dining, first place for Fine Dining, first place for Italian Restaurant, first place for Catering and second place for Family Restaurant. Not a stranger to the Best of Kent awards, Paolo’s has been a favorite for a long time.
“I feel like the place is a gem in Kent,” said Paolo’s worker and facilitator Maria Ross-Lyons, who has been with the restaurant for 17 years. “It definitely has a very loyal base of guests who have really connected through the years.”
So much so that, accoding to Paolo himself, owner and chef Paul Raftis, the restaurant “didn’t close a day” during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Here’s what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna be doing to-go or begin doing it real fast. It was remarkable,” he said of the restaurant’s transition to preparing food for take-out and delivery. “We got really good at it. Our sales were, at the most, 20% down.”
Along with quickly adapting to shutdown restrictions and guidelines, Paolo’s also began working with a professional graphic designer and putting together family meals for people to make their own dinners with the restaurant’s food.
“We did ‘Fill Your Pantry With Paulo’s’ so we had labels made and you could come get your Gorgonzola dressing, or your marinara sauce, or your Gorgonzola sauce,” said Ross-Lyons. “We still have that capability [for people] to buy the sauces, buy the dressings, buy the pasta by the pound. So, [the restaurant’s] pivot was impressive.”
Ross-Lyons says that when Paolo’s re-opened for sit-down dining, people would buy large amounts of gift certificates to make sure the place would stay afloat.
“They would give us extra money and say, ‘Hey, I know your staff needs a little extra money, give this to them as an extra tip’,” said Raftis, who credits such loyalty to the quality of the food, which he says comes from his passion for the flavors found in Italian cuisine and his handmade, in-house stocks and marinara sauces.
“I try to be as genuine and true to Italian cooking,” he said. “With fresh herbs and olive oil, garlic, wine and all that, you know that’s what makes it taste good.”
It’s not just the food that helps Paolo’s stand out — it’s also the staff. Raftis says that he hires wait staff who know how to talk to guests and that he has hired people who have been with him for over 20 years. “A lot of my staff have been with me for quite a few years. One of my folks has been with me for 26-27 years at least,” he said, adding that there are perks to working at Paolo’s, like an annual summer trip where the restaurant is closed for a week and he takes the staff on vacation to Las Vegas or Hawaii.
“You know, we work really hard, it’s nice to get away from work and reward them for what they do to make Paulo successful. I can’t do it without them,” Raftis said.
For more information on Paolo’s menu, anniversary special, wine events and upcoming cooking classes, visit paolositalian.com or call 253-850-2233. Paolo’s is located at 23810 104th Avenue Southeast in Kent.
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