The owners of Assaggio’s Pizzeria Ristorante celebrate 20 years in business
BY DREW BECKER
This year, Tom and Amy McGrath, co-owners of Assaggio’s Pizzeria Ristorante, celebrate two decades in business.
The McGraths have been serving delicious pies in Fuquay-Varina since 2004. They moved to Fuquay-Varina from Minnesota in 1998 because they loved the area, appreciating the small-town feeling it offered while being close enough to Raleigh to take advantage of the city.
Tom originally scouted the area on behalf of a chain restaurant, but he had been considering going out on his own. In 2004, when the timing was right, they purchased Assaggio’s (then a year and a half old), beginning its journey toward becoming what is now one of the longest-lasting restaurants in town.
Tom attributes his success in Fuquay-Varina to a few critical factors: Assaggio’s has always had a great staff whom the customers appreciate, the restaurant utilizes fresh and delicious ingredients and, most importantly, the business enjoys enthusiastic community support—which the McGraths have earned by reaching out into the community. One of the restaurant’s first large efforts, for example, was to coordinate with Barry’s Cafe in Raleigh to establish the Feed the Firefighters Foundation. The restaurants would bring food and drinks to first responders on the scenes of fires and other disasters.
Today, Assaggio’s supports local schools, churches, choirs, youth groups and teams. Tom also emphasizes his use of fresh ingredients, which has contributed to the restaurant’s excellent reputation in town. “Everything’s homemade,” he says. “We make all the sauces; we make our meatballs and lasagnas. All the sauce is made to order. When you order Alfredo, we make the Alfredo sauce then, so everything’s fresh.”
Assaggio’s—and its owners—remain treasured resources in Fuquay-Varina, and we hope they will continue serving pies here for decades to come.
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