As we hear about more of our favorite L.A. restaurants closing, it’s easy to question the viability of the mom-and-pop going forward.
Labor costs, among other things, is one of the oft-cited scapegoats. That said, the picture isn’t completely apocalyptic. There are restaurants out there that manage to offer sustenance to owners, workers, and customers alike and still make money.
One of them is Pasta Sisters . This popular West Side red sauce spot opened its first deli-sized, three-table Mid-City location in 2015 before expanding into its much larger home in Culver City a few years later on a sun-soaked and cinematic corner of the Helms Bakery District. As it approaches its 10th anniversary, business appears to be better than good, with lines consistently out the door and down the street during peak times.
What’s most striking about this business is that it manages to take care of its employees without skimping on benefits, while keeping menu prices affordable and importing high-quality Italian ingredients, like 100% Italian flour, tomatoes, and olive oil during this high-inflation epoch. You can still get a real sit-down meal for just under $20. No surcharges or junk fees to pass the cost down, either.
Pasta Sisters consists of matriarch and lead chef Paola De Rae, son Francesco Sinatra, and daughters Giorgia and Francesca Sinatra, all of whom hail from the northern Italian city of Padova. While Paola was nannying, news of her magnificent gnocchi started spreading throu.
