Pastini (formerly Pastini Pastaria) is a chain of Italian-American restaurants in the U.S. state of Oregon. There are eight restaurants, as of 2017.[1] In 2018, the company was among the largest in Oregon owned by women, with approximately 300 employees, according to Portland Business Journal.[2]
Description
Pastini serves Italian-American cuisine. The Bend restaurant had 30 pasta options, as of 2014.[3] In 2020, Willamette Week's Matthew Singer called the chain "Oregon's answer to Olive Garden".[4]
History and locations
There were three restaurants in Portland, plus one in Bend and another in Corvallis, as of 2016.[5] Craig and Susan Bashel and Kara Hale were owners at the time.[6]
In September 2020, Pastini supplied food to the Lyons Fire Department during the Santiam Fire and donated proceeds from each meal served at restaurants to the Red Cross Cascades Fire fund.[7]
Portland
The Bashels and Hale opened the first restaurant near the Lloyd Center in 2001. Five more restaurants were opened in Portland within six years.[1] One of the Portland restaurants is housed on the ground level of the Studio Building, near Director Park in downtown.[8][9] The restaurant installed a 23.5-foot (7.2 m) sign on the Studio Building's exterior.[10] During a remodel, the restaurant learned some of the Guild Theatre's restrooms were "technically in its space".[11][12]
In December 2020, Bashel represented Pastini in the Rose City Downtown Collective, a coalition of business seeking to revitalize the city center following the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
Bend and Corvallis
Pastini expanded into Bend and Corvallis in 2008.[1] The Bend restaurant opened in the Old Mill District.[15][16] During the pandemic, the restaurant offered takeout services, as of May.[17]
Eugene
Owners confirmed plans for a restaurant in Eugene in 2016.[6] The restaurant opened in July 2017.[1]
Reception
Pastini has been included in guides published by Fodor's in 2008,[18] and 2010,[19] and 2011.[20] In her 2011 book Fun with the Family Oregon: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids, Sarah Pagliasotti said Pastini offered "inexpensive and elegant pasta that's a perennial family favorite".[21] Pastini won first place in the Best Italian category of the Daily Emerald's "Best of Campus" 2020 edition, which said, "This bistro chain is the perfect place to get a classic taste of the Italian food you’re craving with a fun modern twist, both in the ambiance and the flavors. Pastini has a wide range of contemporary plates and appetizers to satisfy whatever genre of noodle you’re hoping for."[22]