Frantone’s began in Downey in 1964 with 6,200 square feet, a dining room that seats 260 and a team of 35 employees, according to Frantone’s website.
“When Frantone’s opened, I was 8-years-old, so I was just a kid,” Frantone’s owner John Tesoriero said.
“As time went on, I went to school and came out of school and came into the business at 21 and worked all the way through since I was 12.”
The Downey location was opened by his mother and father, while he and his brother-in-law took over the business roughly 10 years later.
Tesoriero said the business is family-oriented, with his brother and sister as his business partners.
Six months ago, it was announced by the Downey Patriot that the Frantone’s in Downey would be closing, leaving one last Frantone’s location in Cerritos.
The Frantone’s in Cerritos is about a block away from Cerritos College and was opened in 1990.
“Come as you go, c’mon in and the pricing is good,” Tesoriero said. “We’re not just a pizza place, we’re more than that because we do serve a lot of stuff on the menu.”
He said that Frantone’s is very friendly, “You can come in with a family of five with a large pizza, a pitcher of soda at a very good price. You can feed a family of five for $6 a piece.”
Amy Stewart, the server at Frantone’s, has worked there for around 28 years.
Stewart first got into Frantone’s through a mutual friend who happened to be owner’s daughter. The weekend of Frantone’s grand opening, they asked Stewart to be a busser.
“I said yes and then I wasn’t 18 yet, so a few months later, she said there’s a position that was open and I came and took the position,” Stewart said.
Stewart said that the family is very understanding and points to a time when her daughter did school during the COVID-19 pandemic at Frantone’s banquet.
Frantone’s is also found at Cerritos College, which has locations specifically on the college campus.
With multiple TVs and tons of space, Frantone’s is a place to relax after a long day of work or school and hang out with some friends.
Stewart also said that Frantone’s is friendly and family-oriented.
“I’ve always loved working here, I love my customers, I become friends with a lot of them,” Stewart said. “I truly love the customers and the family.”
As a people-person, Stewart is happy that she isn’t stuck in one position all day, stating “I feel like this gives me more freedom to walk around, talk to people and be more out in the open with the public.”
“The people that come around, even in Downey for 60 years, we have people that met there, we have grandkids and great grandkids, generations have gone through Frantone’s,” Tesoriero said.
“We know most of the people that come to our restaurant because it’s an independent restaurant and it’s real easy to know everybody so it’s very friendly.”
For more information about Frantone’s, visit their website.