It’s a Thursday afternoon at Tony’s Pizza Palace and the lunchtime crowd bustles into the local, Cranston shop. Owner Roula Mantsos greets customers and catches up with regulars while taking their orders. Her late husband, Christos, had worked at the store for decades and knew everyone who walked in. Unfortunately, he passed away from Covid in the early days of the pandemic, which resulted in his wife and two daughters to come together to keep the business going. With challenging times behind them and a hopeful outlook on the future, the business received $10,000 on Feb. 1 through the city’s Take it Outside grant program.

Tony’s Pizza Palace opened in 1970 and has had several homes along Pontiac Avenue. Now at 531 Pontiac Ave., Roula and Christos purchased the business 30 years ago when the store was located at the current Dave’s Marketplace site down the street. The family had owned 531 Pontiac Ave. for some time and rented the facility to a second hand appliance shop. When Tony’s Pizza Palace needed a new location the owner of the appliance store  told the family he would be retiring. After he left, the family moved in and gutted the store in 2018.

The Mantsos family lost Christos to Covid on Oct. 29, 2020, after he went to the hospital to have fluid removed from his legs. On the day his family came to pick him up, Christos tested positive for Covid and was sent to quarantine. His family was unable to visit him, but spoke via FaceTime.

After their father’s passing, Smaro and Tammy voluntarily left their jobs to help their mom run Tony’s Pizza Palace. Smaro had been working as a medical assistant for five years while Tammy was working as a biologist at Dominion Diagnostics.

“I guess this is where we’re meant to be,” said Smaro, as she waited for a pizza to finish cooking on Friday afternoon. “We love it here. Somebody said yesterday we’re the Cheers of Cranston.”

With the grant funding, Tony’s Pizza Palace plans to place large, flowered planters and five tables outside for dining come April. The store plans to include outdoor lighting, trash cans and invest in products to keep mosquitos away. Smaro said she’d eventually like to get patio heaters for the fall so the shop can maximize its outdoor use. Tony’s Pizza Palace is looking to create a homey vibe and feel that families will enjoy the outdoor dining area. Roula revealed her long-term dream for the store is to put a sliding door where two of the shop’s windows are.

The $10,000 award comes from $250,000 that Cranston received from the state in order to support small businesses in the city and attract shoppers and restaurant goers. The program helps individuals expand and maintain outdoor space usage and was created during the pandemic. The program ended in December, however, Cranston’s Department of Economic Development received an extension until April 2023 to disperse the remaining $20,000 in funding.

Reflecting on the pandemic, Roula and Smaro said Tony’s Pizza Palace implemented DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber deliveries to reach customers and keep business afloat. Impressively, they were able to retain their employees throughout Covid. Smaro added that business has picked up more recently and people are returning to the store to sit and eat.

“I’m sure if my dad were here physically he would be so happy, but we know obviously he’s here spiritually,” Smaro said. 

Roula and Christos were born in Greece and met at Cranston’s Greek Festival in 1980 and spent their life together in the city. Growing up, Smaro attended Hope Highlands, Western Hills Middle School and graduated from La Salle High School in 2010. Tammy went to Orchard Farms Elementary School, Western Hills Middle School and graduated from Cranston West in 2013.

Going forward, Smaro said the business would love to do something for the kids and community who they love and have always been supportive of the business; for many years Tony’s Pizza Palace sponsored Little League teams.

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is closed on Sundays. For more information on the business, visit www.tonyspizzacranston.com/.