The restaurant industry struggled during the pandemic. According to a report from Harvard Business School, 1 in 6 restaurants (representing nearly 100,000 locations in the United States) closed in 2020, with over 3,000,000 employees losing their jobs. Smaller, independent restaurants found the cost and complexity of implementing updated infection prevention protocols during the pandemic particularly challenging.
If you look beyond the crisis, however…or simply look at it in a different way…there is also hope. Other Tomorrows found hope in an incredibly talented and inventive chef, Marisa Locco. Her fine dining restaurant in the Boston suburb of Needham grappled with the pandemic realities, with revenue dropping by over 80%. Undaunted, she began working with her partner Francesco Lacovitti on an innovative concept called Polpettiamo that would be perfectly suited to the moment. The result was a celebration of one of the most iconic and versatile Italian foods: the meatball.
The resulting concept is a delivery-only “ghost kitchen” built to serve the world’s greatest comfort food and, of course, love. The name Polpettiamo literally translates to “meatball love”, but it means so much more than that. It also can also translate to “the act of making meatballs together”. Either way, the brand and the name are founded on sharing and celebrating.
Polpettiamo’s mission is to bring Italian cuisine to American tables with great care and respect for our planet. They cook traditional recipes with a modern perspective and fresh local ingredients, while delivering the menu to its customers in fully sustainable packaging.
While we aren’t fully convinced that meatballs will change the world, we believe they can certainly do their part. For now, we’re thrilled to have helped create a platform for Marisa and Francesco to share their passion for food in a way that is safe, playful, and delicious.
Other Tomorrows
Elisa Di Nofa
Federica Bagini
Lee Moreau
Polpettiamo
Marisa Locco
Francesco Lacovitti
Libby Smith
