Flashback to the 90s: Buca di Beppo goes retro

By Michele Laudig Do you remember what you were doing 15 years ago? Or, more precisely, do you remember what you were eating? Buca di Beppo, the Italian restaurant chain, is hoping to use nostalgia -- for cheap prices, anyway -- to spark customers' interest in its 15th anniversary. The...

By Michele Laudig

July 14, 2008

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By Michele Laudig

Do you remember what you were doing 15 years ago? Or, more precisely, do you remember what you were eating?

Buca di Beppo, the Italian restaurant chain, is hoping to use nostalgia -- for cheap prices, anyway -- to spark customers' interest in its 15th anniversary.

The Buca people are reminding us of the days when gas was a buck and change per gallon to illustrate how the anniversary menu's pricing works. Starting today, and continuing through August 10, the restaurant will bring back 1993 pricing for a list of its most popular items.

That means a small order of garlic mashed potatoes for $4.99, a small ravioli pomodoro for $11.99, and a small eggplant parmigiano for $13.49. There are 15 items in all, in small and large portions.

The real kicker is the size of those portions. Have you ever been to one of these restaurants? The family-style servings are unbelievably huge. A "small" serves two or three people, and a large can feed up to six hungry mouths.

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