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<p>EDWARDSVILLE &#8212; Grotto Pizza celebrated National Waitstaff Day last week by treating its most tenured servers to dinner, served by members of the management team.</p><p>National Waitstaff Day is observed each year on May 21 to show appreciation to waiters and waitresses. Grotto Pizza restaurants in Edwardsville, Harveys Lake, and Wilkes-Barre celebrated by inviting senior waitstaff members to dinner served by members of their management teams.</p><p>&#8220;Servers are the most important part of any restaurant visit,&#8221; said Armand Mascioli, COO and co-owner of Grotto Pizza Pennsylvania. &#8220;We rely on them to take good care of our guests, to know our menu as well as recipes, and to work fast and efficiently to get pizza, food, and drinks to the tables on time.&#8221;</p><p>It&#8217;s not the only milestone observed by the chain recently.</p><p>Earlier this month, Grotto marked a quarter century since expanding beyond the Back Mountain.</p><p>&#8220;Twenty-five years ago, we expanded from our original location at Harveys Lake and built this restaurant outside the Wyoming Valley Mall,&#8221; Mascioli said. &#8220;Since then, much has changed in the area, including the rise of the Arena hub district and the expansion of businesses along Mundy Street. Through it all, we&#8217;ve been fortunate to maintain a loyal customer base, for whom we are thankful.&#8221;</p><p>The anniversary was marked with a celebration at the Wyoming Valley Mall location including free slices of pizza, &#8217;90s trivia and birthday cake.</p><p>Since its inception, the restaurant has featured a large family dining area, the Skybox	Sports Bar, and a robust takeout and delivery service. All of these elements remain, but the	differences between business now and twenty-five years ago are obvious, according to Mascioli.</p><p>&#8220;In recent years we&#8217;ve seen an increase in delivery business, which is the general trend in the industry. Our bar area is still the best place in town to watch a game, but our customers have shown greater interest in live entertainment as well as trivia leagues and contests. At the same	time, we&#8217;ve expanded our specialty drink menu to offer more choices.&#8221;</p><p>The family&#8217;s distinctive recipe remains a constant, however.</p><p>&#8220;Some things don&#8217;t change. People come to this restaurant to experience our pizza and while there are lots of great pizzas in our area, there&#8217;s only one Grotto Pizza,&#8221; Mascioli said.</p><p>There is nothing more important to our restaurant&#8217;s success than mom, dad, and the kids sharing a pie. The recipe	for our pizza goes back to 1953, and there&#8217;s still nothing quite like it.&#8221; </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Servers at Grotto Pizza, Edwardsville, are seen being treated to dinner and served by managers as the restaurant celebrated National Waitstaff Day recently. Standing is manager Marc Reichert. Seated front to back on left: Amanda Loucks (16 years) and Roarke Tracy (9 years); front to back on right: Patty Kashmar (8 years) and Diane Luzny (23 years). </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_Gateway-servers.jpg</photo0><caption0>Servers at Grotto Pizza, Edwardsville, are seen being treated to dinner and served by managers as the restaurant celebrated National Waitstaff Day recently. Standing is manager Marc Reichert. Seated front to back on left: Amanda Loucks (16 years) and Roarke Tracy (9 years); front to back on right: Patty Kashmar (8 years) and Diane Luzny (23 years). </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Grotto treats servers to service, also marks special anniversary</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Staff Report</p></bylineMeta></div>

Grotto treats servers to service for National Waitstaff Day