By Myles Ma
Franco Lettieri is something of an institution in Hopewell Borough. He has owned Franco’s Pizza for 36 years.
He was 21 when he opened Franco’s Pizzeria on Mercer Street with his brother in-law. With the little money he had saved up from working in Italian restaurants and pizzerias since he was 14, he had little more than hope to go on.
Today, he is the sole owner and he sees most of his customers once or twice a week. The menu has grown to include barbeque chicken and white pizza. Franco’s also serves sandwiches, salads and for those inclined toward a sit-down meal, Italian entrees, including spaghetti and meatballs, veal, sausage and pepper, chicken and eggplant parmigiana. Lettieri also does catering.
“Everything is made to order, so it’s always fresh,” Lettieri said.
Lettieri learned to cook by working in Italian restaurants and pizzerias in Long Island, where he lived after moving to America from Italy when he was 14. He also learned many of the recipes he uses from his mother, especially classic Italian dishes like chicken parmigiano and meatballs.
“My mother was like magic in the kitchen,” he said. “She could turn little pieces into a big huge meal.”
Lettieri said he doesn’t use only fresh ingredients. No chemicals or artificial ingredients go into his pies or dishes — it’s all natural.
Lettieri said the best part of his food is its consistency. He never has specials — as he likes to say, his prices are special.
“It’s always the same,” he said.
In the same way, customers consistently come back to the restaurant, even after moving away. Lettieri said Hopewell transplants from as far as California have returned to Franco’s for a meal. He has seen many of his old customers grow up. Lettieri is almost always in the restaurant, and he is a familiar face to his regulars.
“It’s a pleasure to serve my customers all these years,” Lettieri said. “To me it’s like family.”
Though Lettieri is an Italian native and graduated from a Long Island high school, he was smitten with Hopewell immediately. His famil would often visit the area, and he knew he wanted to open a business there.
“I fell in love when I first came down,” Lettieri said. “It’s very historical, it’s very quiet.”
Over his 36 years in Hopewell Borough, Lettieri’s business has grown and become busier every year. Aside from that, not much has changed at Franco’s Pizzeria since Lettieri was 21.
Franco’s Pizzeria is located at Hopewell House square, 4 Mercer Street, Hopewell Borough. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. For more information, call (609) 466-2991.
