Late-night eats on menu at Mr. Panini
Welland eatery offers fun and food
Someone call Doc Brown and Marty McFly, because stepping through the doors of Mr. Panini on King Street in Welland is a trip back in time.
The 1980s-themed sandwich shop opened its doors last week, with a focus on late-night eats, and some nostalgia for the decade that gave humankind “Back to the Future.”
“A lot of nights I’d be at home and get hungry and there really wasn’t anything in the city,” said Frank Fiorilli, who, along with his girlfriend Alexis Pancer, owns the eatery.
Fiorilli moved to Welland from the Greater Toronto Area two years ago, and in that time noticed a void in the food map when it came to late-night grub.
He spent months renovating the former tailor shop at the corner of King and Albert streets into the restaurant, focusing his menu on hot and cold subs and grilled paninis. The shop offers a traditional assortment of subs alongside some more creative exploits such as grilled paninis and a selection of pizza subs, including Hawaiian, Canadian and one for meatlovers.
“We started something different with pizza subs,” said Fiorilli, who didn’t stop
with late hours and pizza toppings on a bun as the only aspects to set the business apart.
The sub shop doubles as a 1980s arcade of sorts, every table is a custom-made table-top arcade machine, loaded with 60 classic games such as Ms. Pac Man, Galaga and Space Invaders.
“People when they come in here they kind of step back in time to the ’80s,” said Fiorilli, who isn’t planning on pulling in a fortune from the three machines.
“We kept it (the arcade) the same price as back in the ’80s,” he said, explaining that each play requires just one quarter from a patron.
Fiorilli said he has already seen his customer base grow, as word spreads of the spot to satisfy some late-night hunger, and with a daily walk-in-special of two regular subs for $10.
The shop is open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday through Thursday; and from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., Friday and Saturday.