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Submitted photo.
Submitted photo.
By Vicki Browne
On January 1, after 50 years of operation by the same family, Alice’s Italian Supper Club in Iron River will pass to a new owner, Terri Storti.
Storti has purchased the restaurant from its previous owner, Jill Sabotta. Sabotta is the niece of Alice Tarsi, who opened the restaurant in 1974 with recipes she learned from her mother, Concetta (Mattioli) Tarsi.
Storti fondly remembers dinners at Alice’s with her grandmother and has enjoyed countless meals there with her husband Jim over the past 20 years. She said she is excited about the opportunity to take over such a long-standing family business.
“We’re honored that they trusted us with this,” Storti said. “I want everyone to know that Alice’s is still Alice’s.”
Alice Tarsi opened the restaurant which was originally located on US 2 and offered a menu based on recipes she learned from her mother Concetta (Mattioli) Tarsi, a first generation immigrant from Italy. Tarsi was working for Ford Garage when she decided to open the restaurant. Although she did not have restaurant experience, her deep connections in the community and the care she put into every diner’s experience enabled her to grow a successful business and loyal customer base.
Alice’s moved to its current location in town in the 1990s. In 2008, after 34 years of service and tens of thousands of meals served, Tarsi sold the business to her niece, Jill Sabotta.
Sabotta recalls the advice Tarsi shared with her at that time: “When people come to your restaurant you treat them like they are in your home for dinner.”
Sabotta was nervous about taking over the restaurant. Her aunt was beloved by customers and the community as evidenced by the fact that when she died in 2010 the newspaper ran a full front-page tribute to Tarsi.
“I thought that if we kept the food, maybe we could win their hearts,” said Sabotta.
Sixteen years later, as another transition is set to begin, the story feels the same. Anyone familiar with dining at Alice’s will know Sabotta won the hearts of her customers with her effervescent and warm presence in the dining room.
“I used to go to the door and people would say, ‘Where’s Alice?’, said Sabotta. “Now they ask me, ‘Are you Alice?’”
Like Tarsi, Sabotta started without restaurant experience. She had been working at Miners State Bank. Her husband Rick worked in construction before taking over as co-owner and bartender.
“When we took (the restaurant) over my kids were almost all out of the nest,” Sabotta recalled. “This got us through those empty nest years. Between the two of us we’ve managed to keep this going.”
With genuine humility, Sabotta indicated that she had no special skills except the ability to talk to people. “You have to care about people and treat them like good friends,” she said. “And they are …such beautiful souls.”
Sabotta originally thought that purchasing the restaurant was the most difficult decision. At the time, she thought, “Just because Alice had a success, didn’t mean I was going to.”
But now that the sale is finalized, she knows selling it was much harder. “I have loved every single day I have been here. Selling it tops it as the hardest thing.”
“The time is right. We’re leaving on a good note,” said Sabotta who plans to do some traveling with her husband, spend time with her nine grandchildren, and be more available when opportunities arise to help in the community.
“I’ve worked since I was 14,” said Sabotta. “Having nothing to get up for is going to be tough for me, but we have a few trips planned and I’m sure I can keep myself busy.”
Storti and her husband learned about Sabotta’s plans to sell the restaurant in May when they were dining at Alice’s.
“When Jill said, ‘We’re going to list it.’, we said, ‘Don’t.’” recalled Storti.
What transpired was a conversation between the two couples that resulted in a transfer of ownership that will keep everything else as it has always been –staff, menu, decor, and hours of operation.
“We want people to be able to walk through the door and feel like nothing has changed,” said Storti. “That’s important to us. And it’s as simple as that.”
Storti’s journey will begin as Tarsi’s and Sabotta’s did, without restaurant experience, but with a willingness to work and learn.
“I’m ready to go. I’m excited,” said Storti. “I love to work and will jump in wherever I’m needed.”
Jill and Rick will continue at Alice’s through New Year’s Eve. On January 1st they’ll remove their family photographs from the walls. The restaurant will be closed January 1-3, but will open for service on January 4th with the same staff offering the homemade pastas, sauces and breads that have satisfied diners for 50 years.