Lorenzo’s Restaurant serving a 75-year history of evolution and consistency in Italian dining

MIDDLEBORO — “When I train people I always think, this is what Lorenzo would have told me to do. I try to tell people, this is what's worked all these years,” said Doris Mocker, a manager at Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant and Bar.

“Don't break it now, let's keep it going — for the sake of Lorenzo's,” Mocker said, who has worked at the restaurant for 34 years.

Now in its 75th year of business and third-generation of family ownership, Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant and Bar continues to evolve from its early “clam shack” days as a drive-in Italian diner. In August, a weekend-long celebration commemorated the three quarter century milestone.

When in doubt, the staff at Lorenzo’s Italian Restaurant and Bar go to the decades-tested way of getting things done in the ever-busy kitchen and restaurant: Lorenzo’s way.

Mother and son, Angela and Peter Maffeo, are the third-generation owners of Lorenzo’s Restaurant and Bar, which began as a small but busy Italian drive-in on West Grove Street in Middleboro in 1956.

“I actually was here since I was eight. My mother dressed me up like one of the carhops, and I came to work and loved every minute of it as a kid,” said Angela Maffeo.

Before the restaurant that stands today at 500 West Grove St., Angela Maffeo’s father, Lorenzo Grosso, opened the original restaurant in Taunton during the early 1950s. Her mother, Geraldine Grosso, ran the business in the early days side-by-side with her father, where they worked around a hand-turned stone pizza stove.

In 1956, Grosso opened the drive-in off of West Grove Street. Through the ‘60s and ‘70s, Grosso closed one and opened another Taunton location, and by the late ‘70s he focused solely on running the Middleboro location.

“It was a little clam shack that my dad and mom purchased in 1956, and they turned it into a drive-in. Every year they would just kind of increase. They would maybe add a patio on, or they would add something in, you know, a new cooler,” Angela Maffeo said.

Lorenzo’s Italian Drive-In continued to grow with the evolving business. The drive-in soon became the “teenage hangout” spot in the mid-60s and early 70s, Angela Maffeo said.

The business evolved again in 1981 when Grosso made large renovations to the drive-in restaurant by adding a bar and indoor dining room to cater to older patrons.

“He built a small dining room and started serving food inside, but it was still on aluminum plates and plastic silverware. I can remember customers saying, when are we going to graduate to metal spoons?” Angela Maffeo said of the drive-in renovations.

Grosso gathered nearby business owners and petitioned the town to implement a septic system in the early 80s, so businesses like his could run a dishwasher — and in turn — serve patrons with metal cutlery and plates.

With a history of evolution, Angela and Peter Maffeo said they are no strangers to meeting the high and constant demand of the restaurant business. Just as Grosso had done for decades, the mother and son duo now lead the restaurant through its fair share of facelifts and business pivots.

Lorenzo Grosso passed away in 2013 at the age of 91.

In 2019, the restaurant saw its first major renovation in over three decades. Less than a year later, with the grand re-opening still fresh on everyone’s minds — the Covid pandemic closed the dining room.

Like many restaurants, Lorenzo’s had to lean on the takeout side of the business. The restaurant functioned fully on takeout meals, and when restrictions were lifted to allow outdoor dining, the team pivoted to their outdoor dining area.

“That sort of just changed the landscape of everything. During that time period we had this beautiful, newly renovated restaurant that we couldn't open,” Peter Maffeo said.

“Much like the evolution of the restaurant — you start off with, ‘okay, this is what you got. How do you make it better? How do you make it more efficient?,” he added.

Over the past five years, Peter Maffeo said they have transformed their outdoor dining space and it has become a new point of focus for the restaurant.

“That space out there was essentially nothing. It was just dead grass and a picnic table.” Peter Maffeo said. “We developed that into another outdoor dining option for people, which contributed to the evolution of the business.”

This spring, the team made further improvements to the outdoor dining area which now hosts live music and events.

Amid all the adjustments, core menu items like their sauce, pasta and meatballs haven’t changed since the 1950s. Angela Maffeo attributes their success to consistency and all-homemade recipes.

“People like that. They know exactly what they're going to get. I have people come in and say to me, this Italian Grinder tastes exactly as it did when I was a kid coming here,” Angela Maffeo said.

“Generations of people have come to know that this is what we are. We try very hard, extremely hard, to make sure that consistency never goes away,” she said.

Growing up, Angela Maffeo remembered the strong work ethic of her parents, and the tough times that went along with running a restaurant. She said it was even more difficult for them since her father didn’t have a strong grasp on the English language.

“He learned to read when we kids were learning to read,” Angela Maffeo said.

She said when Lorenzo Grosso emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1946, he did not speak English, nor read or write it. Nevertheless, he and Geraldine Grosso raised Angela and her two siblings whilst keeping the restaurant in business.

“He was a very shrewd businessman. He was a very kind businessman. He had no education, even in his home country, he only went as far as the fourth or fifth grade,” she said.

After growing up in the restaurant, and later attending college, Angela Maffeo was given a choice — join the family business or work elsewhere, something her son Peter also had to decide

“I did work at a few different restaurants. But, I came to the realization that if I'm gonna work this hard in this industry — because, that's what you have to do. This industry is tough, and you just have to work hard — I'm going to devote my efforts to the family business” Peter Maffeo said.

Angela Maffeo’s two siblings did their “tours” at the restaurant, but chose to step away. But for her, Lorenzo’s gave her a purpose and a career.

“The restaurant business is a whole different animal. It's not like any other industry. It's hard work, but it also is extremely rewarding. You could walk out of that kitchen and put a smile on your face when you see your guests. The satisfaction is right there, you don't have to wait,” Angela Maffeo said.

After the most recent renovations to the outdoor dining area, the Maffeos said they’re not sure what’s next for Lorenzo’s.

For now, they’ll keep seeing ways they can improve the business, but will continue to focus on what they do best: fostering a place for patrons to create memories alongside home cooked Italian food.

“When we had carhops, [customers] would park their cars in the parking lot and eat pizza. Now, 50 years later, they're coming in and having dinner and eating outside,” said Peter Maffeo. “You know, it's that consistency — those memories. People are celebrating their life, their milestones here. That makes it this special place.”