At the end of 2024, there was an air of promise on the local restaurant scene, however stories breaking in mid- to late January took on a negative tone in Newport and Providence. Many were centered around Audrain Hospitality, also known as Heritage Restaurant Group, which has acquired several local restaurants in recent months, mostly in Newport. The company hasn’t made any changes in these facilities, and there have been no statements of any such intent regarding these properties.
“The restaurant community in Newport is vibrant and shows no signs of slowing down,” said Richard Sardella, a longtime Newport restaurateur and owner of Sardella’s Italian Restaurant.
In Providence, the Heritage Restaurant Group is the new owner of the venerable and beloved Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen Italian Restaurant on Federal Hill. The company recently announced that it plans to introduce one of its Newport restaurant concepts – a casual spot featuring gourmet hot dogs that has become very popular on Thames Street called Wally’s Wieners – to Providence by replacing the Old Canteen.
It is more a reflection of the changing times, appealing to a younger crowd that has a different idea of dining out. It may be surprising to find that idea hits many of the same notes as the classic old-school approach refined by Marzilli and carried on by his son Sal Marzilli for years.
The essence of the traditional restaurant experience was summed up best by Pot au Feu owner Bob Burke, a restaurateur who knows something about fine dining.
“Many years ago I enjoyed the first of many delicious meals here,” Burke wrote after making one last visit to the Old Canteen. “Something happened that I never forgot – Joe Marzilli came to the table to greet us and be sure we were happy. I had never seen an owner do that – but it felt so right. A warm welcome and genuine concern for every customer’s happiness. To this day I visit every table at Pot au Feu keeping that tradition alive. Sal, his son has kept the Old Canteen an outstanding piece of a dining tradition that is vanishing from our city…The owners who have been running them for decades are passing on…Thank you Mr. Marzilli.”
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WIENERS ON THE HILL: The Heritage Restaurant Group recently purchased Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen Restaurant on Federal Hill in Providence, pictured, and will replace it with one of the group’s many Newport restaurant concepts, Wally’s Wieners.
PBN FILE PHOTO/CASSIUS SHUMAN[/caption]
In 2016, Bradley Head and his wife, Morgan, started a hot dog cart called Wally’s Hot Dog Cart. They named their new business after their beloved golden doodle, Wally. They started to have success in 2019 with large-scale local and statewide events and set up shop at many of Rhode Island’s breweries. Their cart business grew, and eventually they were able to open their own brick-and-mortar location – Wally’s Wieners – in Newport.
From the beginning, Wally’s served Rhode Island’s most famous hot dog – Saugys, which came from the Cranston-based Saugys Inc., which has been family owned and operated since 1869, using a secret family recipe brought over from Germany in the late 1800s.
Following respected traditions led to success. Then came a twist. Wally’s introduced martinis, including a giant espresso martini consisting of more than a dozen shots of espresso, among other things. It went viral in the summer of 2023.
“The giant espresso martini is $70. Our regular [martinis] are $14, so you actually get a bit of a deal,” Bradley Head said.
It would appear the spirit of guest attention and the essence of hospitality are alive and well. But like everything else, it looks different in the modern world.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, is heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
