Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staffīut Papa Razzi’s core fans have aged with the chain, and sales at some restaurants have plateaued, while others grow modestly without an influx of new patrons, the company said. Now people visit Papa Razzi expecting baked breadsticks and foccaccia or their favorite pasta dishes, she said.īasil rtgatoni is also a new addition to the Papa Razzi menu. “Entrees were $16, but you were treated like you were having a $300 meal.”ĭishes were often customized to guests’ tastes and the menu did not change much over the years. Newport Harbor closed the Chestnut Hill location shortly after the sale and plans to update all six of its remaining restaurants, which are on Newbury Street and in Burlington, Concord, Framingham, Wellesley, and Cranston, R.I.Ĭollum said the chain Sarkis built became known for top-notch service at budget-friendly prices. Sarkis held onto a few Papa Razzis in other states, but has since closed all but one in Short Hills, N.J. Newport Harbor bought seven of the Papa Razzi restaurants in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Sarkis sold most of the restaurants a few years ago. The eateries were folded into his Back Bay Restaurant Group, which also owned Abe & Louie’s and Atlantic Fish Co., among other restaurants. The well-known Boston restaurateur Charlie Sarkis launched the Papa Razzi chain in 1989.

“The new group has to tread lightly between a forward-thinking direction and what made the restaurants so special to people around here.” “There are some very diehard Papa Razzi fans,” Collum said. Newport Harbor says Papa Razzi has 35,000 members in its loyalty program. Newport Harbor’s biggest challenge will be to update an older brand without making drastic changes that turn away longtime guests, said Ani Collum, a partner at the Norwell consultantcy Retail Concepts. Frutti di mare is one of the new dishes on the Papa Razzi menu.

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