January 30, 2023
Handout Art/For PhillyVoice
Marc Vetri is making a return to the pizza business with Pizzeria Salvy, a restaurant named after his father, Sal. The Philadelphia restauranteur did not disclose the new restaurant's location or its opening date, but foodies can keep track of new developments on its Instagram page.
Marc Vetri is returning to the pizza business by opening Pizzeria Salvy, a restaurant named after his father, Salvatore.
Vetri revealed his plans Thursday on Instagram, but did not disclose where the pizzeria will be located or when it is slated to open. He described it as the culmination of 35 years of making pizza, from his days learning the basics in Italy to implementing those lessons at his restaurants in Philadelphia, including the Pizzeria Vetri chain, which he sold in 2015.
"This pizzeria will be a true Philadelphia story, all about growing up (in) Philly, the memories they invoke, and pizzas that are created around those moments, such as the Sunday Gravy pizza," Vetri wrote on Instagram. "My belief has always been that more than serving food, we are helping to create a lifetime memory for you, and you are entrusting us to do that. It's very powerful and never taken for granted. The moments with my father are felt in my food and I want to share that with you."
The restaurant will serve a variety of 12-inch pies, pizza by the slice and Sal's meatballs, Vetri said. A larger menu will be announced at a later date. The pizzeria will use locally-sourced grains and other ingredients woven into its pizza dough.
Jeff Benjamin, Vetri's longtime business partner, will collaborate with him on the new pizzeria, and his father will serve his signature meatballs. Sal Vetri previously worked as a prep cook at the Pizzeria Vetri location in Center City and at the former Amis Trattoria location in Washington Square West.
In detailing Pizzeria Salvy on Instagram, Vetri included a photo of himself with his father. And the newly-created Pizzeria Salvy account posted a black and white portrait of Sal Vetri. His thick-rimmed glasses are featured in the restaurant's logo.
Vetri's latest foray into the pizza business comes about eight years after he sold most of his restaurants, including the Pizzeria Vetri brand, to URBN, the company that owns Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People. He and Benjamin took executive positions at the company as part of the sale, though Benjamin left in 2016 and Vetri parted ways a year later.
Pizzeria Vetri has locations in Fairmount, Rittenhouse, Devon and King of Prussia. URBN also controls several other Vetri-founded restaurants, including Osteria and the remaining Amis Trattoria locations.
Vetri kept his flagship restaurant, Vetri Cucina.
Last summer, Vetri opened Italian steakhouse Fiore Rosso in Bryn Mawr. His decision to bring a new restaurant in the Philly suburbs was partly a response to the city's pandemic response. Vetri had been an outspoken critic of the stringent restrictions placed on the restaurant industry in 2020 and 2021.
Vetri also opened MVP in the Wells Fargo Center's revamped club level, joining concepts from Stephen Starr and Jose Garces. Vetri also owns a restaurant in Las Vegas, Osteria Fiorella, and another in Kyoto, Japan, called Mr. Maurice's Italian.
Additional information about Pizzeria Salvy will be released on its Instagram page in the coming months.
