Seeing our dream become a reality after 2 years of hard work, raising money, finding a space, and then convincing the landlord to give us a chance was really tough but totally worth it to help us fulfill our dreams.
We opened the doors to Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria on November 23rd, and we have been busier than we ever expected!
It was hard in the beginning to find employees willing to embrace working for a new company, so we hired the bulk of the employees in our first month after the buzz was out. My husband Ted and I worked every day and night during the first month to cover for the lack of employees and the time we took out to help with training. We never really ever had a slow time to work out any kinks, so everyone had to learn recipes and the computer system quickly. Luckily, we found the best employees that we could have ever hoped for. We truly feel like they are our family, and we love them!
My mom, Belinda Lee, is our General Manager. It’s really fun for me to have her with me every day. During the lunch rush, we host and bus tables together and laugh. Ted works the floor at night and knows just about everyone that comes in. We call him “Mr. Popularity.”
I am a perfectionist when it comes to the menu – I have already changed it 3 times! I recently reworked all of the pastas and am now very confident in all of them, but really, I don’t ever think I will be completely satisfied!
Ted and I have many surreal moments where the place is packed with happy people, and we look at each other and can’t believe it’s real. We really enjoy work every day and can’t wait to get there in the morning! In fact, Ted has to practically pull me out of there at night!
Now we are just really grateful for all of the business we receive. Our focus now is giving back, reaching new goals, and always improving the food, the environment for the guests and staff, and our hospitality. We have big dreams for the future of the restaurant and our brand. Every day, we chip away at reaching those goals and making our community better; in fact, we recently partnered with Siteman Cancer Center, Food Outreach, and Gateway 180. We have also started a catering division and our Saturday and Sunday brunch, and are working on big plans for the patio, including a vegetable and herb garden! Nope, things never really slow down here, and we couldn’t be happier about it!
The first 60 days have been a huge success, and we can’t wait to see what the next 60 bring! Be sure to keep reading our blog to follow up on how we’re doing, or better yet, stop by in person to enjoy our fantastic food and our friendly atmosphere!
Our upcoming Giveback Tuesday event will take place on July 23, and you won’t want to miss it! We are donating the day’s profits to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL), Gateway180, and the St. Augustine Wellston Center.
Let’s come together and help these charities fulfill their missions of inspiring youth to realize their full potential, empowering individuals to become permanently housed, and providing lower-income people with nutritious food.
What’s better than enjoying delicious, handmade Italian food? Supporting worthy causes at the same time! Funds raised at our next Giveback Tuesday event on May 28 will be donated to the Brain Injury Foundation of St. Louis, PGA REACH Gateway, and Vivent Health. Let’s come together and help meet the needs of individuals with brain injuries, impact the lives of youth, military, and diverse populations, and serve people impacted by HIV.
