Papa Gino's, Waterford, CT

Papa Gino's, Waterford, CT

  March 04, 2018    Robby S.

---

PAPA GINO'S PIZZERIA
117 BOSTON POST ROAD
WATERFORD, CONN

The Papa Gino's location in Waterford, CT has been closed since 2012. For those of you who aren't aware, Papa Gino's is a regional chain of New England pizzerias most known for their sponsorship of the Boston Red Sox. The pizzeria opened in 2000 and operated for the entirety of its life as a Papa Gino's / d'Angelo Sandwiches co-branded restaurant. It sat in the Stop & Shop plaza at 117 Boston Post Road, directly across the street from the Big Y that closed in 2008 (which you can read about here).



According to the Town of Waterford Real Estate office, the Super Stop and Shop opened in 1960 alongside some smaller tenants, McDonalds, and a drive-in theater. Today, all but the drive in theater still stand. The theater was demolished in 2017 to begin construction for a 50+ community

Maybe later on I'll revisit the Stop and Shop and give it its own post.

Stop and Shop #667, which has the Bradlees-esque design, serves as the main anchor for the plaza. Courtesy of LoopNet.

Pizza competition with Papa Gino's was tough, as Waterford Pizza Palace, Papa Johns, and Domino's were all within a mile or two of Gino's.

A view of the restaurant in March 2012, its last year of operation. Image courtesy of LoopNet

The interior wasn't anything too special, and can quite easily be seen to this day. When the restaurant closed, no one took the liberty to tape over the windows, so one can just peer inside. 

The vacant exterior of the restaurant

The former entrance of the restaurant

Looking inside the entrance. You can see me and the Dollar Tree in the reflection

The inside of the restaurant looked exactly like this (but with tables) when it was open

The concrete stops abruptly before the mulch begins

The marks the signage left from when the restaurant closed.

Not much done to the inside of the restaurant

I always though the wallpaper inside was REALLY ugly.

I remember that when Papa Gino's left, it wasn't in the best shape, and whenever we went to eat there there was rarely anyone else there. Even at a young age, I could tell that Gino's wasn't doing the best business and they were sure to close soon. The other thing I remember: the cheesy bread was really really good. 

The future of Papa Gino's looks like it's quite interesting. Despite operating as a pizza restaurant, the property is listed both by the town and by its leaser as a fast food restaurant with drive thru capabilities. 

Notice how the Papa Gino's building (Plot 14) is shown with a drive thru next to it, despite Papa Gino's never having one.

While there are many fast food restaurants in the area (Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, and Smoothie King), I could see this property reopening as one. The issue, however, is that the fast food market in the area is quite competitive, with Tim Horton's and Starbucks trying to open stores in the immediate area; both of which failed within their first few years. Chick-fil-A has been making a growing presence in the Connecticut fast food market, and this plot looks ideal for one. The nearest Chick-fil-A to this location is about 20 miles away at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. 

I mean look this lot totally has the potential for a Chick-fil-A

See? It just works! *hint hint Chick fil A*

Also, let's now take a moment to laugh at my hilariously bad photoshopping skills.

Well until next time