The meatloaf helped make a match.
William “Bill” Pope said he was not a customer of Gabatoni’s, but got to know the owner, Rosalie Beck, because she came into his restaurant, Charlie Parker’s Diner, on a regular basis.
“She was here every Wednesday and got meatloaf to take home with her,” Pope said. “I found out she was selling (Gabatoni’s) and it went from there.”
Gabatoni’s was founded by Johnny and Rosemary Lynn in 1951 and originally operated out of a building at Third and Washington streets. In 1959, the family-owned business moved to its current location at 300 E. Laurel St. Beck, their daughter, operated the pizzeria for several decades before deciding to retire earlier this year.
Pope purchased Charlie Parker’s, 700 North St., in 2017 and said his dad told him at the time that he should consider acquiring Gabatoni’s if he ever bought another restaurant.
“I had only been to Gabatoni’s one time; I went with my dad when I was about 15 years old,” said Pope. “But he was a frequent customer when he was younger, and other family members liked it as well.”
Instead, Pope’s second acquisition was Parkway Café, 2715 N. Dirksen Parkway, in 2022. He owned it until earlier this year when it was sold to his brother, Larry Pope, who had been managing it for him.
“I sold Parkway Café in May to my brother, that’s what made (the purchase of Gabatoni’s) happen,” Pope said.
The deal closed Oct. 16 and Pope already has a building permit on file with the city for interior renovations. Gabatoni’s closed its dining room during the early days of the pandemic in 2020 and has focused on carryout service since then.
“The bar was in pretty bad shape, so I’m redoing the bar,” he said. Noting that it’s being custom-made, Pope said it’s hard to set a firm reopening date.
“Two different time frames have already been shot, so at this point I’m shooting for the middle of December,” he said. “It all depends on how soon the custom work on the bar gets done, but I’d say first of the year as a worst-case scenario.”
Other than the new bar, Pope said he plans to maintain the same interior décor, and he’s sticking to tradition as far as the menu goes as well.
“We’ve already gone back to the original sauce and original crust – people were complaining about (the change). Everything stays the same as far as the menu,” Pope said. “The only thing we’ll be doing to the menu is bringing prices down a little bit and adding some new items later on, once everything calms down.”
Pope also plans to expand the hours once the dining room reopens. Gabatoni’s is currently open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and he said the hours will expand to 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week.
“People can start applying now, I’m going to need all kinds of front-of-the house people once we’re ready to reopen,” he said.
