July 14, 2010 10.07 am This story is over 164 months old

Vito set to open another county restaurant

Chain master: Lincoln restaurateur Vito Cataffo is set to open a new venue in the county.

Lincoln restaurateur Vito Cataffo is set to expand his restaurant chain this year with another venue in the county. Cataffo’s new eaterie in Grantham will be based on his flagship Lincoln venue, Gino’s (in the Bailgate).

“The new restaurant will create 35 new jobs for the town, and I expect to welcome our first diners in mid-to-late October,” said Cataffo, who also owns the Zuchinni restaurant on Lincoln’s Silver Street, Via Italiano in Newark, and Mia in Sleaford.

“I have been exploring the potential to take my brand of Italian dining to Grantham for some time. The town is growing and is poised to get more housing. It is also close to the A1, and there are many villages within its catchment area,” he explained.

Development at the new Grantham eaterie will cost around £300,000, and is located at the ground floor of the once-popular Malt Shovel pub, which has been closed down for six months. Cataffo expects to create around 35 new jobs in the town.

“The old Malt Shovel is a great building, and we are modelling our new restaurant on Gino’s, which has a great atmosphere. We plan to seat up to 150 people inside the building and another 30 in the rear courtyard. There will also be tables and chairs to seat 20 more outside the front of the restaurant,” Cataffo said.

Cataffo starred in the television series La Dolce Vito, where he and his fiancée Margharita trawled Italy in search of new restaurant premises, and also toured the UK meeting top British food producers, before opening an English restaurant called Passion, in Bologna.

Source, Photo: FoxMedia