Sitting at the table of one of his several successful restaurants, Don Pascalli remembers his humble beginnings in the restaurant industry as a 16-year-old boy from New Jersey. “It was when I first came to Florida, I got a job washing dishes,” he recalled. “I just fell into it, and I’ve been at it ever since.”
Pascalli owns three popular hometown restaurants in The Acreage: Sneaky Pete’s Grill & Creamery, Kocomo’s Island Grill and Pascalli’s Italian Ristorante.
Pascalli has been in the restaurant business for many years. “As a young man, I used to open up restaurants all over the world, including London,” he said. “And I’ve worked for the Darden Restaurant Group, which owns Red Lobster, the Olive Garden and Capital Grille.”
As an experienced businessman and restaurateur, Pascalli used his knowledge to open up his first restaurant. “I had a place in Royal Palm Beach for six years called the Hall of Fame,” he said. “A lot of my customers from out here know me from there.”
Eleven years ago, Pascalli opened Sneaky Pete’s, his first restaurant in The Acreage. A relaxed family-style restaurant with dine-in and take-out options, it is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu items include ice cream, pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken wings. “And we serve the kids meals on Frisbees,” Pascalli said.
There is a bar for people to watch sports games. “It’s more of a place where families can go to have good food and watch a game,” Pascalli said.
The new creamery is located on the other side of restaurant and has 21 flavors of the Ice Cream Club ice cream. “We have everything from old-fashioned banana splits to ice cream floats,” Pascalli said.
The creamery side of Sneaky Pete’s also offers a game room with arcade games and a pool table. “It’s a great place for kids to play after they eat or grab an ice cream cone,” Pascalli said.
As Sneaky Pete’s became more successful, in a span of two years after its opening, Pascalli opened Kocomo’s Island Grill and Pascalli’s Italian Ristorante.
Kocomo’s Island Grill has an island-style vibe to it, with island-inspired decor such as tropical paintings on the walls. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, some menu items reflect the island style, with a variety of fresh fish as well as steaks and chops. “It’s a little more elegant but still a casual atmosphere,” Pascalli said. “It’s for families also, but we have other events going on there.”
Kocomo’s Island Grill offers live entertainment on select nights and Karaoke night on Fridays.
Pascalli’s Italian Ristorante is a pizzeria and Italian restaurant, located in the same plaza as Kocomo’s. It has 70 seats for dine-in, but also does a large take-out business.
All of the restaurants are operated by Pascalli and his family, and they employ more than 90 people from the local community. “There really isn’t an industry out here employing that many people at once,” Pascalli noted.
Sneaky Pete’s Grill & Creamery is located at 5088 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in the Grove Marketplace. For more info., call (561) 333-1179.
Kocomo’s Island Grill (7040 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road) is in the Publix plaza in The Acreage. For more info., call (561) 383-7550.
Pascalli’s Italian Ristorante (7070 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road) is also in the Publix plaza. For more info., call (561) 383-7101.
Information on all three restaurants can be found at www.sneakypetes.food.officelive.com.
