Alla Famiglia owner listed Allentown landmark for sale but doesn’t expect to sell - here’s why

PITTSBURGH — The owner of Alla Famiglia emphasizes the restaurant isn’t going anywhere and that it will honor all upcoming banquets and event commitments.

News of the landmark restaurant being sold created quite a reaction, but a clarification from the owner is bringing a sigh of relief.

“We had a little bit of an emotional decision back when the COVID shutdowns were in effect,” owner Jonathan Vlasic said.

That’s when Vlasic decided to list the restaurant just out of curiosity, but also in the event relocating made a better business decision at that point. But the restaurant survived the pandemic. Today, with a business sensibility that everything is always for sale, Vlasic nonetheless says he expects the listing contract to expire in the near future. He does not expect to sell the restaurant. He will continue with his commitment to Alla Famiglia, a restaurant he started 16 years ago with $10,000 and eight tables that’s grown into something much bigger.

“I gotta tell you, the restaurant is in no way in a regression as far as the way we are investing still,” he said.

In fact, Vlasic said, “I actually kind of forgot about the fact that we even really listed it, to be honest with you.”

But that fact didn’t escape the Pittsburgh Business Times, which reported this landmark restaurant as still being on a list of businesses for sale.

And when word got out, panic set in, Vlasic said.

“It was like, we’re declaring today as ‘National Alla Famiglia Day.’ The love that was coming through, the devastation of people thinking that we were not gonna be here anymore ... we’ve really come into that kind of Pittsburgh institution thing. I’m tickled over it, I really am.”

Girl Scouts introducing new cookie (NCD)

©2021 Cox Media Group