Sovrana throws it back to 1985 for National Pizza Day - NEWS 10

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Thursday is the perfect day to enjoy a fresh slice, as it marks National Pizza Day. At Sovrana Pizza & Deli in Albany, cheese slices were discounted to a $1, to embrace the history of the business that first opened in 1985.

When you walk into Sovrana, you get a feel for a business that’s become a staple in the community.

“Most of our customers, we know. I mean, we see them and the same thing every day, it’s almost like family,” said Cristian Virgiglio, whose parents and grandparents opened the business nearly 40 years ago.

Inside the business, located on North Lake Avenue, family pictures line the wall and help illustrate Sovrana’s rich history.

“We were just a bakery at first, we only had groceries on this side, and cookies and donuts and stuff,” Virgiglio explained.

But one day, his grandfather began making pizzas for lunch, an item that very quickly became popular, “Every day, people started coming in, when is he making pizza again, when are you making pizza again?” he said.

Now, decades later, and in honor of National Pizza Day, Sovrana threw back some of their prices to the 20th century. A slice of cheese from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. was just a dollar, pepperoni slices $1.25 and specialties $2.

“I think it was a really fun promotion to do, just because we have so much rich history here, and I think it would bring people in too,” said Virgiglio.

And bring people in, it certainly did. When News10 visited the business around the time of opening, several customers were already inside, with more folks pouring in to get slices for lunch.

While $1 slices used to be commonplace, inflation has made many things more expensive, including the main ingredients for pizza, “I wasn’t worried about the price, I was just more worried about getting more customers in here. We’re definitely doing that,” he said.

- NEWS 10 (02/09/23)

NEWS10 Link - https://www.news10.com/news/sovrana-throws-it-back-to-1985-for-national-pizza-day/