After giving delivery and take-out a try when the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping across East Boston in mid-March, the owners of Santarpio’s Pizza decided last month to close the doors at the famed pizza place’s Eastie and Peabody locations.
The Santarpio’s Family cited the health and well-being of its customers, employees, community, friends and family as reasons to close.
“We believe that voluntarily closing our doors will help protect our community and flatten the curve,†they said at the time.
But after a month of being closed, the Santarpio’s Family announced over the weekend that Santarpio’s Pizza has once again reopened for take-out and delivery services,
“We are excited to announce that we will be reopening our East Boston and Peabody locations on Monday, May 4th 2020 for pick-up and delivery only,†said the Santarpio’s Family in a statement. “As part of our reopening, we are taking extra precautions to ensure the safety and health of our customers, employees, community, friends, and family. Both locations will be open from 11:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. for pick-up and delivery, including DoorDash. We are looking forward to reopening and serving our community. Thank you for your support of our business.â€
There was great excitement in Eastie when Santarpio’s Pizza announced for the first time in its 110-plus year history it would start delivering its famous pizzas amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, after a successful run with deliveries the Santarpio Family announced in April it would close their Eastie and Peabody locations out of an abundance of caution and to protect its staff and customers from falling ill.
The no-frills pizza joint that serves up pizza and BBQ lamb, sausage and steak tips is known for its long lines of hungry patrons waiting to feast upon the fare that has made it a staple in Eastie and beyond.
However, the COVID-19 outbreak has made Santarpio’s and other local restaurants shift to take out and delivery operations as dine-in service was suspended throughout Boston and the state.
However, while some restaurants remain open for takeout and delivery, Santarpio’s is not unlike other restaurants in the neighborhood that made the switch to takeout and delivery only to reassess that move weeks later as the pandemic ramped up locally.
Since the pandemic began Santarpio’s had been donating pizzas to those on the front lines fighting the COVID-19 outbreak as well as organizations feeding those in need.
The family donated to the Fire Departments in East Boston, the officers at District A-7 and the East Boston Community Soup Kitchen as well as the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.