Simple math led to closure of Bastone in West Midtown, chef says

Pascarella’s statements in his interview with the AJC echoed the restaurant’s closing announcement, in which Pascarella said shutting down Bastone was not the result of any one exterior factor like the economy, cost of goods or other closures in the area.

“No one’s to blame but us,” Pascarella said in the prepared statement. “We could have done many things differently but didn’t. You learn from your mistakes, and as much as I’d like to tell you that this is my last mistake, I doubt that’s possible.”

But Pascarella did mention the challenges of traffic and parking, describing how he and his team would see the gridlock outside the restaurant and feel it affecting their bottom line.

“We would watch Friday nights, starting at 200 reservations, and watch it trickle down and by 6 p.m., you’re down to 65 because people couldn’t get to you,” he told the AJC. “It would create so much anxiety for me I would literally have to delete the OpenTable app off my phone.”

The Porchetta Group, founded by Pascarella and Brian Ferris, also operates the White Bull in Decatur, Alici in Midtown and three locations of Grana, a more casual concept that serves pizza and pasta. Pascarella said Bastone’s struggles diverted his attention from the group’s better-performing restaurants, adding another reason for closing to the list.

The landlord for Bastone, Cartel Properties, even offered assistance to keep Bastone open, Pascarella said.

“It doesn’t make any sense to keep going,” Pascarella remembered telling the Cartel team. “They understood … so there’s no love lost there.”

Grana is the Porchetta Group’s “moneymaker,” according to Pascarella. He described how the community has enthusiastically embraced Grana at its location in Roswell since its debut late last year. The original location in Piedmont Heights opened at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dunwoody followed in 2023. Pascarella noted that they would likely open a fourth location at some point.

At Bastone, Pascarella also said he and his team could have adapted more quickly to changes in the business. The restaurant absorbed big price increases for some fundamental ingredients like flour for too long, he said. When they finally did raise prices to improve their margins, Pascarella said the change upset customers.

“When we finally do pass it on to our guests, everybody’s freaking out that we’re expensive,” he said.

Pascarella shared a sense of relief over Bastone’s closure, calling it “bittersweet.” The restaurant was named for his late grandfather, and he said he spent much of this year working in the kitchen there in the hopes of rescuing the restaurant.

Now, he will have more time to spend at his other restaurants and engage with customers, he explained. Pascarella said he hopes to get back to sharing more cooking content on social media and running regular cooking classes through the restaurant group.

“I want to do the things that excite me, like getting to cook alongside my line cooks again,” Pascarella said. “The more you grow a restaurant group, the less and less you get to do what you signed up for. You signed up to cook.”

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