Avanti’s has gone downhill
Posted by Billy Dennis in Food, Peoria, Restaurants, UncategorizedSo what’s the deal with Avanti’s?
It used to be one of The. Best. Places. to eat pizza or spaghetti in Peoria. Honestly, I was more fond of the spaghetti than the pizza, although owner Albert Zeller’s minions used to be able to cook up a mean thin crust special. It was all in the handmade dough. One of my fondest childhood memories was of Dad loading my brother and me into the station wagon to go to their Tuesday night Spaghetti Feast. Mom stayed home to a) have some time to herself and b) avoid having to see the men in her family shovel plate after plate of pasta into their mouths.
Well, a recent family outing took the entire extended brood to Avanti’s. The pasta was watery and overcooked. The sauce was right out of a can. The meatballs were frozen and smelled of preservatives. Remember that sweet tasting, homemade bread for which Avanti’s was famous? No more. It’s frozen now.
Aparently, the owners — I have no idea who owns the chain now — has decided to coast on memories and good will and serve its diners the cheapest stuff they can get away with these days.
Feh. It’s a mistake they will regret.
Full disclosure: When I was in college, I worked for Avanti’s as a delivery person, and got fired for blowing off work to interview for a job I thought I would like better. No anomosity, though, I obviously deserved it. I’ve eaten there many times since.
[tags]vantis,Italian food[/tags]
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I totally agree, Bill. I grew up in Peoria, then moved to St. Louis for college and ended up staying down there for about 15 years. Coming back for holidays and visits, I perceived a decline, but I had Avanti’s so irregularly (and usually just for carry out) that I thought I was imagining things. It’s even more noticeable now that I’ve moved back to the area and have been into the restaurant to eat a few times. I keep trying other things on the menu and going “that’s not as good as it used to be.” Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but I don’t think so – especially since I’ve heard the same complaint from other people. I’m sure the Main & University restaurant will stay alive on the business of the college crowd, but if some decent competition showed up near the other locations …
According to the website, the restaurants are still owned by the Zeller family.
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Do they still have Gondola’s?
Yes. But they don’t use homemeade bread anymore. It comes to the store frozen, I believe.
you dont know what the hell your talking about the bread is not “FROZEN” i worked at avantis and my family still works there so if you dont want to get sued then you need to stop writing all this false garbage i am very friends with Albert Zeller and his Son Stephon Zeller
Avantis still makes its bread daily and bakes all day long in each restaurant. The sauces are all made fresh daily as well. Times change and peoples tastes change but Albert and Stefan Zeller have not changed what makes Avantis great. They still run the stores and put their heart and soul into the business.