How a 100-year-old Restaurant Keeps Things Fresh

These days, it’s often the trendy new restaurant openings that garner the splashiest headlines from the buzz-worthiest food blogs. And while a daring new menu might be the first in the limelight, just as praiseworthy is a restaurant that can continually wow customers for 115 years straight. After all, it’s not every day that a century-old family recipe can land a spot in Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly” list and garner the attention of Taylor Swift.

That’s the story of Ralph’s Italian Restaurant. Back in 1893, Francesco Dispigno left Naples and traveled to America with his wife and young son. They were headed to Philadelphia, where they would settle down on South Ninth Street—home to a booming South Philly Italian community. By 1900, Francesco opened the doors to Ralph’s, and for years, his family offered inexpensive meals to countless immigrants from Italy. Ralph’s even weathered through some of the country’s toughest times during the Depression and World War II.

One century, four generations and countless Frank Sinatra sightings later, everything and nothing has changed. The redbrick building that’s housed the restaurant for all these years looks the same as it did back in the early 1900s. On the back wall of the building’s upstairs, the same original painting of Venice remains. The time-perfected aromas still fill the dining room. And the rich family history—from uncles and nephews to sisters and grandmothers—remains at the heart of everything Ralph’s does.

But as times changed, Ralph’s recognized that garnering the attention of new customers was just as important as nurturing those who have been coming through their doors for decades. In 2015, when 28-year-old Ryan Rubino, the great-great-grandson of Ralph’s founder, led plans to grow the brand’s legacy through franchising, he realized it was time to implement a few changes to keep things fresh and attractive to future investors. Over the past few years, Ralph’s has introduced Groupon deals, a Facebook presence, online reservations and credit card payments.

They opened a second location at a Sheraton hotel. They’ve tweaked and streamlined their menu over the years. And they’re even in the process of creating and branding their own homemade sauce line to sell at their two locations.

“We always want to protect the legacy of our brand—it’s what makes Ralph’s so special. That familiarity has brought Ralph’s a lot of loyalty. But there comes a time where you have to implement some necessary changes to bring that legacy into the 21st century,” Rubino said.

Having Taylor Swift dine at your restaurant probably helps to keep things pretty current, too. One evening, when the singer was in town and on the hunt for a quiet dinner to help her wind down from a two-year tour, she Googled “Italian restaurants in Philadelphia.” Ralph’s improved online presence led her through their doors.

Before they knew it, Tweets were flying, police were blocking off the street and TMZ was trying to snap a picture through the back windows. But Rubino says the chaos was all worth it—after she left a $500 tip, the restaurant caught the attention of Jay Leno, who mentioned the restaurant on his show.

“We might be the country’s oldest Italian restaurant, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. It’s the palpable energy in our restaurant that helps us bring in customers both old and new—it’s warm, it’s familial and it’s lively. It’s something that people want to be a part of. And I suppose having Taylor Swift namedropping Ralph’s doesn’t hurt either,” Rubino said. “We will always have to make changes to evolve and keep up, but they’ll never really take away from what has long made Ralph’s so great—and that’s our deep heritage.”