The new owner of a pizza restaurant in Whistable claims the town is too quiet on Mondays – but he is hoping to change that.
Naples-born Paolo Parmigiano has decided to experiment by opening Castellum Pizzeria at the start of the week, when he says “everything is closed”.
He hopes the move will entice more visitors to his restaurant and takeaway in Oxford Street, which he took over last month.
The restaurateur – whose surname even translates to ‘Parmesan’ in English – also believes other businesses could reap the benefits of the extra footfall.
Acknowledging the scenario can be ‘a chicken and egg’ situation, the father-of-three, who has been in England for 20 years, says he wonders if more people would visit if more was on offer.
He explained: “I personally think that there’s a little bit of a gap on a Monday night. Whitstable is a bit quiet on a Monday night – but everything is closed.
“With the sunshine and the nice weather, people will come down hopefully.
“Some people can have Mondays off now and may want to come down, so let’s give it a go through the summer.
“I think that with everyone closed on a Monday, there’s very little choice.
“The more people you can bring in, the better it is for everyone, not just for us. They might leave us and go and get an ice cream or a drink before.”
Offering traditional Neopolitan pizza, pasta, seafood and daily specials, Paolo has taken over the eatery with business partner and fellow Italian Fabio Mercoliano.
In January last year, Castellum Pizzeria made the shortlist for Restaurant of the Year in KentOnline’s Food and Drink awards.
Diners who nominated the venue among the top 10 eateries in the county praised its “lovely atmosphere” and “amazing pizza and pasta”.
Aware that the restaurant is already a firm favourite, Paolo says his team will instead look to introduce the occasional new dish – such as last week’s baby octopus – rather than dismantle an already well-liked menu.
He said: “There will be more changes, but we have taken over a popular business, so it’s fair enough for now to keep the menu as it is for a bit.
“We still want the people to know that people can still enjoy everything that they used to and get new things as well.”
Prior to taking over Castellum, Paolo was working in Ramsgate, and before that he worked for celebrity chef Richard Phillips at both his pub in Hollingbourne and Whitstable’s Pearson’s Arms.
But Paolo jokes that it’s his Italian surname that makes him the ideal candidate for his chosen career.
He added: “It was because of my surname that I decided to get into this job.
“I knew with this name I would be a good person to be called up to this job.”
