Will Vito’s Pizza close its doors for good in East San Jose?

Co-owner hoping to come up with an 11th-hour rescue plan for the restaurant his father started 41 years ago

Vito’s Pizza, an old-school restaurant that has been serving pizza and memories to East San Jose families for four decades, is set to close permanently Sunday — unless a rescue plan emerges, co-owner J.R. Mini said Friday.

The eleventh-hour attempt to keep the family business going was prompted in part by the customer sentiment that surfaced after this

“Hey there Vito’s family!” note was posted on Facebook:

“Since 1979, we have had this relentless passion and commitment to bring you the best pizza that we could possibly bring to San Jose. We have stood the test of time and it’s because of our Vito’s family loyalty. Because of all of you, we were able to do what we do best for 41 years! We appreciate you for allowing us to be involved with your lives and families, providing you with the best quality food money can buy. On that note, we have news that we’re pretty sure no one wants to hear.

“As of Sunday, May 31st, 2020, we will be permanently closing our doors. It miserably pains us to say this, but we felt like all of you have to know this because of how we’ve impacted your lives and how you’ve impacted ours. You are a part of us, so it would only be fair that we share this.”

Mini, who co-owns the restaurant with Tony Piazza, said: “The coronavirus kind of slowed business down. And then the rent’s going up.”

Mini said customers think pizzerias are thriving during the pandemic because they’ve always been popular for takeout, but that’s not the case. “We’re all dying,” said Mini, who also co-owns Rosie’s New York Pizza on The Alameda. “The boom is on Friday and Saturday nights. People see that and say, ‘Man, you guys are doing good,’ but it’s three hours.”

Vito’s holds a special place in his heart. His father, Joe Mini, cofounded Vito’s in 1979 with Mario Landino.

“We’re going to try to keep it going, keep it in the family,” he said Friday. “We didn’t realize we had this much support.”

That support came in the form of lines out the door and customers turning to social media to post their thanks and tales of how long they’d been enjoying Vito’s pizza, cheesesteaks and spaghetti with meatballs.

“The first day I arrived in the U.S. my dad took us to Vito’s,” Cesar Juárez Ruiz remembered on the Facebook page. “We’ve been coming back since 1993. It’s extremely sad you’re closing.”

Donna Kosanovich wrote: “I got my start in martial arts because of Vito’s. Years ago there was a Choi’s TKD right next door. While our pizza was being made, my dad would take me next door to watch the classes and I started when I was 3 years old, 1983.”

Longtime customer Robert Michael Torres called Vito’s a “true San Jose icon.”

“Tony, your place has meant a lot to our family. … We’ve moved to the Central Valley but we are driving down on Friday to get one more memory.”

Details: 1040 S. White Road, San Jose. 408-259-1600; facebook.com/ vitosfamouspizza