An Italian Restaurant Empire is Expanding in Rhode Island

PHOTO: Pat’s Italian/StevensGreg Stevens didn’t always know he was going to build a restaurant empire.

The West Warwick native, who began his career in Massachusetts first in tech and then the mountain bike business, was lured back to Rhode Island when he took the helm of Pat’s Italian Restaurant in Johnston.

Now, with additional locations in Coventry and Cumberland, Stevens is about to embark on a new Pat’s destination – Warwick.

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“It’s on Post Road. There’s a company called Good Homes out of Manhattan, that’s converting former hotels and assisted living facilities into apartments, and in Airport Plaza, there’s a former Sheraton and 90 apartments going in. The restaurant space in the front is 4,000 square feet,” said Stevens.

With soon-to-be four Pat’s Restaurants and the potential for more, the next generation of the family is now getting involved in the business.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Stevens.

And for Stevens, there could even be a side of politics with pasta.

Building an Empire

For Stevens, a West Warwick High School graduate, his professional career started out in the 1980s in Foxborough and Waltham in the tech space, in a microwave connector company, when cell phones were just emerging.

“We made the connectors for Motorola,” said Stevens.

Then he decided he wanted to “be in business for himself,” and opened a successful mountain bike shop – “Mountain Bikes and More.”

Stevens (left) with family and team members in Johnston. PHOTO: StevensStevens however began thinking of his early days in the restaurant business, at The Touch of Italy in West Warwick.

“I really loved the pace of that,” he said. “And I loved the Italian food.”

“So we visited Pat’s Italian in Johnston, which was owned by Pasquale Orlando. Walking inside, it was a transformation. It was like going into Italy, with the waiters with their bistro aprons and ties, the pasta and the sauce. I said this is what I want; we made an offer, and we bought the first one,” said Stevens.

And Stevens expanded quickly with different concepts – Wickford on the Water, Frankie’s Italian Bistro, Rachel’s Cafe, Uptown Burger Bar – but he said it was the “Pat’s” brand people always came back to time and again.

“Every time I’d talk to someone, about my restaurants, it was oh, Pat’s, I’ve heard of Pat’s. So I said, you know what, why am I trying to reinvent the wheel?” said Stevens. “So, we started opening more of them.”

Next Steps – and Maybe the State House

“We really take great pride in our product,” said Stevens. Currently, Pat’s marinara sauce is now available at Market Baskets, Shaw’s, and Dave’s.

“I get together with my managers every week through a Zoom or Google meet; just to talk about how the week went. What went wrong, what went right, what kinds of specials to do,” said Stevens.

And for Stevens, his team is literally – and figuratively – family.

“My manager in Johnston has been with me since he was 16 as a busboy. He’s 32 now. He was a waiter, then bartender, then manager,” said Stevens. “My manager in Coventry, she started out as a busgirl, then bartender, and now she manages the location.”

And now, Stevens’ own daughter is at the helm of the Cumberland location.

“There are things we’re constantly working on. We offer gluten-free products; we have specials during the week to entice people to come in,” said Stevens. “We change up the menu probably every three months.”

And for Stevens, who says he is politically-minded, there could even be more changes in store.

“I’d like to run for Governor. I’m always telling my attorney that,” said Stevens. “I think I could do it. I think I’d have a good shot at it.”

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