News

Todaro family vows La Nova Pizza will emerge from the ashes

Just two days after their legendary pizzeria was damaged in a fire, the Todaro family is working to reopen the business.

September 2, 2004

Two days after La Nova Pizza suffered heavy damage in an early-morning blaze on Aug. 28, its owners are vowing to reopen the U.S. mainland's busiest pizzeria post haste.

According to The Buffalo News, inspectors believe a lit cigarette tossed into a garbage can ignited the fire, which scorched the pizzeria's 60-seat dining room. Minor damage was done to the front part of its kitchen, but the rearward and basement storage areas were largely unharmed. No one was injured in the fire.

"The dining room got the brunt of it; it's pretty well shot," said Michael Dentico, executive vice president of La Nova Wings, a sister company. "Not only was there fire damage, the firefighters had to come and do their job, which means a lot of water everywhere. The rest is primarily smoke and soot damage."

Damage to the building is estimated at $400,000.

Dentico said the damage — and the long-term impact on the business — might have been worse had the fire penetrated further into the building. He suspects the facility's unique structure (as La Nova has grown, the company acquired multiple contiguous properties and connected them to the original site) may have limited damage.

"That may have been a Godsend, since it wasn't able to travel back to the (La Nova Wings) offices," Dentico said. "Those offices have separate phone lines and electrical service, and separate computer servers. So it's business as usual back here."

It's not business as usual, however, at La Nova's other store, located in the Buffalo suburb of Williamsville. All customer phone calls normally headed to its West Side pizzeria have been rerouted to the Williamsville store. Opened in 2001, the facility is about one-third the size of the original.

"Basically, they're trying to do the business of two pizzerias out of one location," Dentico said. "They're doing their best to keep up, but it's been as busy as Super Bowl Sunday every day since this happened."

Combined annual sales at the two pizzerias — both of which operate 16 hours a day — is about $8.5 million. The West Side unit, which employs about 150, accounts for $5 million of that.

A Buffalo institution

Not long after Joseph Todaro founded La Nova Pizza in 1957, the business grew quickly and moved to its current site on the corner of West Ferry and Hampshire Streets. Joseph Jr., (known as "Big Joe") joined his father as a partner in the business in the 1960s and helped steer it toward prosperity in the city's economically depressed West End.

Joseph Todaro III (known as "Joey") joined the business as a teen and is now its president. Against Big Joe's advice but with his blessing, Joey and his sister Carla Todaro Pantano founded La Nova Wings in 1994. The company makes ovenable chicken wings and appetizers and has annual revenues of more than $25 million.

Over the years, La Nova became a fixture at Buffalo community events, where it often donated products and services to benefit charities. Its goodwill, tasty pizza and wings helped the company build a citywide following and a chart topper in local "best of" surveys.

Loyal customers, including the city's mayor, have visited the burned site to show their support and offer help. Many residents have brought food and drink to employees helping to clear debris from the burned building.

"Buffalo is a very friendly town and a close community," said Dentico. "When there's a time of need, it's truly remarkable how the city rallies to help those who need it.

"La Nova has been a staple in this area; it's very community minded. So it's nice to see that reciprocated — though not expected — in this time of need. The family appreciates it very much."

None of the Todaros were available for comment by press time, but Dentico said that while the family is shaken, it's already working busily on reconstruction plans.

"It was a terrible thing to watch them be sort-of drained as reality set in," Dentico said. "But it was amazing to see them pick themselves up pretty quickly and put a game plan together. They don't want to let the community down or themselves."

According to The Buffalo News, 81-year-old Joseph Sr. said, "If we could reopen tomorrow, we would."

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