Frankie’s has a legacy of success in Westlake
By Cynthia Schuster-Eakin
Insights
Published Jan. 20, 2010

Sometimes, less is more.

If the Great Recession has not taught us that, then we can take a lesson from a business that has survived for 43 years in Northeast Ohio and continues to thrive.

Frankie’s, one of the most well-known and respected dining establishments in Westlake, recently moved from its locale in a strip shopping center on Detroit Road to a smaller, free-standing structure on Center Ridge Road.

“This is my dream restaurant,” proprietor Sandy Fusco Harris said. “It’s a little bit of Italy.”

Harris said it is ironic the restaurant’s history began 40-plus years ago in a red brick building at the corner of Porter and Lorain roads, with a 12-table restaurant downstairs and an apartment upstairs.

“In the 1980s, it seemed that everything that was bigger was better,” she said. “Now, we’re back to where we were, and I’m loving it.”

Harris has decorated the walls of the cozy eatery with tapestries that she purchased on one of her trips to Italy. She runs the restaurant with the help of her daughter, Francesca. Her parents, Carl “Frank” and Barb Fusco, who started Frankie’s and operated it for many years, are happily retired in Naples, Fla., she said.

“We still use the same recipes that we used in 1967,” Harris noted. “We cook fresh every day. The sauce still simmers for six hours. Everything is made from scratch.

“We have had some of the same clientele for 40 years. Some of them come in twice a week,” she said. “This is an affordable family restaurant, not just for special occasions.”

Lunch and dinner specials are offered every day. Meals at lunch start at $5.25. The restaurant has a children’s menu, with items priced at $5. Portions are still large.

“We have not skimped in all these years,” Harris said.

Many of the menu items are dishes that her parents introduced. “Our biggest seller has always been the Chicken Tosca,” Harris noted. Pieces of chicken breast are dipped in an egg wash, floured with Parmesan cheese and sautéed with garlic in a lemon and white wine sauce, then served over fettuccine ($16.95).

Another customer favorite is Frankie’s Taste of Italy. This heaping platter of food includes portions of homemade lasagna, chicken Parmesan and your choice of fettuccini Alfredo or linguini with clam sauce ($17.95).

Harris said she has added some of her own touches to the menu. After a trip to Italy, she introduced an authentic Margherita pizza, with an Old World-style thin crust, brushed with olive oil and garlic and topped with tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese ($13.95 small, $16.45 large).

“It’s phenomenal,” she said. “It’s just like they make the pizza in Italy. It’s not about the crust. It’s all about the fresh ingredients that you put on top.”

Harris also added a Mediterranean shrimp salad to the menu. Large shrimp are marinated in Italian seasonings and served on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes, artichokes, red onion, black olives and mozzarella ($12.95). Of course, Frankie’s is known for its famous house salad, topped with house-made sweet and sour dressing and a mound of provolone cheese ($6.75).

“We make our own bruschetta, with chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil on a baguette,” Harris said. “And all of our soups are homemade.”

Italian wedding soup is offered daily, along with a soup du jour.

Harris said business has been very good since the move. They are getting the customers in that they have seen for years, but she has noticed a lot of new, younger clientele.

Frankie’s plans to offer something special for Valentine’s Day, so customers should call ahead to check, Harris said. She looks forward to reopening the outdoor patio in the spring. She said the enclosed patio is beautiful, with little lights on the umbrella tables and Italian music playing in the background.

Frankie’s, 27828 Center Ridge Road, is open seven days a week. Carryout and catering are available. The restaurant also sells its homemade sauces, meatballs and salad dressing to go. Gift certificates are available. Private parties can be accommodated. Credit cards are accepted. There is full bar service. Call (440) 892-0064.