Pronto Cucina Italiana has reached a new milestone in San Clemente’s dining scene, becoming the first local restaurant to receive the Orange County Health Department’s Award of Excellence.
For owner Adriano Piazza, the moment came as a surprise during what was supposed to be a routine inspection.
“We didn’t know up until when the health department came in for our yearly inspection,” Piazza recalled. “The lady was stoked about the restaurant, saying how awesome it was. Then she left for about 15 minutes, came back, and we thought she had forgotten something. Instead, she told us, ‘By the way, you guys won the Award of Excellence. We don’t give this out, and you’re the first one in San Clemente.’ That was pretty awesome.”
The recognition, Piazza explained, isn’t just about food safety — it’s about the culture the team has built inside the restaurant.
“To me, it means we have a good work culture where everybody is accountable and holds each other accountable,” he said. “You can’t do this by yourself. You need the whole team. The food is good, the drinks are good, but the team is what makes it all work. They’re really ride or die for the restaurant.”
That sense of commitment has defined how Pronto has operated since opening. Rather than pushing staff to prioritize labor hours over quality, the restaurant allows its small team to fully finish their work, even if that means staying past the normal clock-out time.
“A lot of restaurants are worried about labor costs and push people to clock out even if the work isn’t finished,” Piazza said. “We don’t do that. We’re here until the job is done.”
He credits that decision with maintaining Pronto’s high standards. Every member of the team logs their work, keeps track of tasks and treats cleanliness as non-negotiable. Because the restaurant is open only for dinner, the same staff members open and close together, ensuring consistency across shifts.
“We have a very small team,” Piazza said. “The same people come in, they open and close, and they care about their station and their environment. The protocols we have are the same every restaurant should be doing — we just enforce them very strictly.”
For Piazza, training and motivating staff isn’t just about rules; it’s about making people love the space they work in.
“The only way to maintain standards is to make people fall in love with the restaurant the way we do,” he said. “We spend more time here than with our families, so it becomes like a second family. We want everybody to feel good about where they walk in every day.”
The award also carries a bigger meaning for the community, he added.
“At the end of the day, we’re feeding people, and people should feel comfortable when they come in to eat,” Piazza said.
“I hope this builds trust. A lot of people have been burned going to restaurants and not feeling good after. I hope this shows it can be done right — even by a small family restaurant.”
Piazza also hopes the recognition encourages residents to support establishments that go above and beyond with their practices.
“It’s unfair that some places cut corners,” he said. “It’s awesome to walk into a place where you can trust what’s happening behind the scenes.”
Receiving the award has also motivated Pronto to keep raising the bar. Piazza said the very next day, they called the Health Department to ask what else they could do to improve.
“You never feel perfect,” he said. “You just keep striving. Now the pressure is on, but in a good way.”
Looking ahead, Pronto plans to grow by adding catering services and expanding its bar program. Piazza said while the restaurant is best known for its food, the drinks deserve just as much attention.
“We’ve got amazing liquor and an amazing bar program that actually started here,” he said.
“People know us for the food, but we want them to know us for our drinks as well. I’m Italian — there’s always lots of wine or a cocktail with your meal.”
For Piazza and his team, the Award of Excellence is both a reward and a challenge: recognition of their efforts so far, as well as inspiration to keep improving for the community they serve.
Dining and Cooking