Last night at Spiaggia, diners were in for one heck of a parting gift: Instead of being presented with the check at the end of the meal, patrons were given a note thanking them for their support of the quarter-century-old restaurant. You read that right: Dinner was completely free.
Intrigued by such a show of generosity, we got in touch with a Spiaggia rep, who told us that "last night, April 13th, was Spiaggia's actual 25th birthday — so that was the biggest surprise of all, a complimentary dinner for everyone who was dining with us." But the surprises are going to keep coming throughout the year — diners on the 13th and 25th of each month can look forward to further celebratory gifts. "We don't necessarily want to divulge what the surprises are going to be," our contact told us. "But they will be given to all of our guests that are in attendance. They'll be relevant to Spiaggia's history and brand, and more often than not they'll be food-related."
And who do we have to thank for all of this? "It was really [Spiaggia chef-owner Tony Mantuano] who thought of this. A year ago, if you'd asked us what we were going to do for the anniversary, wewould've thought it'd be some big, over-the-top blowout party. But in this climate, economically speaking, we wanted to be more sensitive. So what better gesture to bestow on loyal clientele and spiag newcomers than dinner on us on our birthday?"
Spiaggia's mostly been in the news lately for its Obama affiliation (it's on-record as the Presidential couple's favorite restaurant) more than its delectable Italian cookery, but that right there is the reason it's lasted so long: Mantuano and his staff are committed to keeping people's bellies full and moods buoyant. With this latest promotion they're ensuring both more butts in seats and happy diners heading out at the end of the meal. We couldn't think of a happier birthday celebration.
[Photo by Jeff Kauck, courtesy of Spiaggia]
