Frankie and Benny's
Contact Details
- Address
- Festival Leisure Park Basildon SS14 3WB
- Army & Navy Parkway Chelmsford CM2 7GY
- Phone
- 01268 532522 - 01245 343790
- Website
- http://www.frankieandbennys.com
The F&B Story
It is rumoured that Frankie Giuliani was 10 years old when, with his Mamma and Poppa, he left Sicily and landed at Ellis Island, New York in 1924. They moved in with relatives in Brooklyn's Little Italy, a predominately Italian neighbourhood.
Poppa soon found work, but from the home country he'd brought a little money and a lot of ambition. It was no surprise then, when the family opened a restaurant within a year, everybody helping with the building and the cooking in equal measure. Each of them had a favourite dish to contribute, but it was Mamma's home-style cooking that was the base from which the business prospered.
Frankie went to the nearby High School and became lifetime friends with Benny, already a third generation American. In 1953 Poppa retired and Frankie and Benny took over the business, combining the best of popular American food with Italian dishes. The rest, as they say, is history!
