Why Doc’s Trattoria is closing

KENT — Unexpectedly, the owners of the popular Doc’s Trattoria restaurant announced they will be closing their business on Dec. 16. Roberto Pizzo and his wife, Paulette Manetti-Pizzo, sat down with The Lakeville Journal last week to talk about their decision to close the restaurant.Pizzo said he has been in the food business for more than 25 years and his wife for 17 years. “It is part of who we are,” he said.But, Manetti-Pizzo said, “Owning a restaurant, which we have done since 1999, requires a commitment above and beyond what most people are able to make.”She continued, “People have asked us if the economy had an effect on our decision. No doubt the economy had an effect on our existence and how we do business. That is a given in the restaurant industry. If you are or have an investor with a ton of money to sink into a restaurant, it’s one thing. “But if you are a working owner, you are always going to be trying to manage your money to the best of your ability. You have good times, and at other times you do your best to get through it. That is just part of what this business is.”While the economy was not the deciding factor, she said, it certainly makes you think.“For us, the decision to close our restaurant was based only on quality-of-life issues,” she said. “Stress and quality of life were the main motivating factors.”They did say that, though they are closing the restaurant, they still own the name.Manetti-Pizzo moved to Kent when she was 10 years old. She and her husband have two children. Joe, 13, is a student at Trinity Pawling School and Isabella, 10, attends Kent Center School.“They are active children and as they get older, their activities increasingly demand more of our time,” Pizzo said.The couple suffered two huge losses this year. Both of Pizzo’s parents died within six months of one another, which added to the stress in their lives.Though he never attended culinary school, Pizzo began his apprenticeship in the restaurant business at the age of 17, working full-time for his father and an uncle who owned a restaurant in Italy. The Pizzos had been traveling to Italy each year to visit Pizzo’s parents. “We stayed for two or four weeks because we saw them only once each year,” Manetti-Pizzo said. “But it was never a vacation for me because I would spend hours on my laptop communicating with the restaurant, solving problems the employees encountered, dealing with our banks and vendors.”Pizzo said he is taking some time off now. His sister and her family are coming to Kent for the holidays and he wants to spend time with them. He will begin deciding what his next career move will be at the beginning of the New Year. “But it will most likely be something in the food business.”Manetti-Pizzo said her father lives in Kent and operates a financial services firm that she will join as a financial advisor.Both Pizzos said the decision to close Doc’s Trattoria had absolutely nothing to do with legal problems that surfaced earlier this year.When asked why Dec. 16 was chosen as their last day, the Pizzos said there was nothing special about that date. They wanted to be closed before the holidays. “Dec. 16 will be a bittersweet day for us,” Manetti-Pizzo said, “but we are very much looking forward to a huge family gathering for the holidays.”Pizzo said he believes a new food business will occupy the space after Doc’s closes.