"DARRELL WONG/THE FRESNO BEE"
 

Word on the street
Partners in pasta plan: If Paisanos idea works, they hope to turn it into a franchise.
The Fresno Bee
04/20/08 21:58:50

Longtime restaurateurs Steve Gibbs and John Speakman are hoping Fresno's taste for Italian food translates into business success.

The two business partners recently opened Paisanos Pasta near the corner of Ingram and Herndon avenues in a busy shopping center anchored by Wal-Mart. If the idea works, they hope to expand and turn it into a franchise.

The restaurant, which opened March 24, is based on a simple concept in which customers get to create their own dish by choosing their pasta, sauce and topping, and watch it put together in front of them.
"Our motto is, 'Paisanos Pasta, where you're the chef,' " said Gibbs.

Gibbs, who calls himself "just a local kid," recently returned to Fresno after working in Phoenix for three years. He was president and chief operations officer for a franchise group that ran 50 restaurants, including Long John Silver's and A&W, in four states.

Speakman was recently vice president of operations for Yum Brands, which owned restaurants from California to Kansas. Speakman has known Gibbs for several years, having hired him to manage a Long John Silver's when Gibbs was 18.

Gibbs said the restaurant concept has been in the works for about three years.

"We pitched it to a different restaurant company and they passed on it."

The restaurant offers seven different pastas, including spaghetti, fettucine and whole-wheat penne. After a customer selects a pasta, they choose a sauce. Options for sauce range from an Arrabiata sauce -- a spicy, Sicilian sauce made with red chili peppers -- to marinara, meat sauce and pesto.

If the pasta with sauce isn't enough, you can also add toppings such as chicken and meatballs or vegetables such as artichokes and asparagus.

Pasta dishes start at $4.99 and come with fresh-baked garlic bread and a 1-ounce scoop of gelato (strawberry or orange) frozen dessert.

The 1,800-square-foot restaurant has a contemporary, cherry-wood decor, and is located in a five-suite office building at the south end of the Wal-Mart parking lot.

So far, customer response has been good, Gibbs said.

"Tracy Correa and Bethany Clough contributed to Word on the Street. It was compiled by Correa. The reporter can be reached at tcorrea@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6378. Ariticle © Copyright 2008 The Fresno Bee."