Dine and Discover Queens: Giuseppe Ciccotto - Pronto Pizza

It’s “Dine and Discover Queens” time! “Dine and Discover Queens” is a monthly spotlight on some of the best food and drink options from around the borough! This month, we are featuring Giuseppe Ciccotto, Owner of Pronto Pizza, located at 45-19 28th Avenue in Astoria. To learn more, go to https://prontoastoria.com/. 

What inspired the creation of your business? 

I grew up in Italy where I attended culinary school in Agrigento. When I came to New York in 1997, I started working in the food industry with the goal to one day open my own restaurant. After 12 years, on April 29,  2009, I finally got the opportunity to purchase Pronto, and the journey began. 

Can you share a bit about your business journey in Queens? 

The beginning was extremely hard! When I purchased a business, it was quite run down. I had to put all my financial and physical resources into the business to make it go. For the next 3 years, I didn’t take any days off! With the help of God, the extreme efforts began to show good results. The community was responding well and every year that was passing the business grew stronger. 

Are there any particular items that have become beloved by the Queens community? 

Every aspect of Pronto is of vital importance to me! Every dish, every sauce, every pizza, from the smallest garlic knot, to the biggest catering event we have done, I have made sure to be as good as can possibly be, and people love it all. One very important part of the business is also the staff! Most of my Staff have been with me from the beginning, for 16 years, and we have become a family, working together with the same goal, to succeed as a team. And the community loves us for that!