Papa Vito's was named after our grandfather, Baldassare "Vito" Geoppo. He immigrated to the United States from Mazzara, Sicily through Ellis Island in 1913.
It was his work ethic and family recipes that inspired our parents to open the first Papa Vito's Pizza in Waterloo, Illinois, in 1991. Mom's homemade recipes and dad's belief in treating customers like family had folks driving to Waterloo from miles around.
Papa Vito’s opened our second and largest location in Belleville’s downtown historic district in 2011. Many believe the iconic downtown location, built in 1852, is haunted by the spirits of past residents - an old stagecoach driver and a school teacher.
As the second generation of Geoppos became more involved in the family business and the love for the homemade flavors grew within the community, it was time to open the third and fourth locations - North Belt West in West Belleville and Washington Street in Millstadt.
Papa Vito's is the result of the vision and hard work of our parents. We will pass this to our children and our children's children.
And as always, we will follow our motto:
"Our customers are our friends, and our friends are family."