'I do everything with love. Everything's from my heart.'

Aug. 7—WILKES-BARRE — Franco's is much more than a downtown restaurant. It's a generational establishment built on old-school hard work, dedication, and of course, delicious recipes.

Owner Rose Belia took over Frank's Pizza and Italian Restaurant in 1997, which was re-branded to Franco's in 2018. Her parents, Frank and Conchetta Genova, opened the place in 1975. Dad passed in 1986, and Mom in 1997, leading to Belia taking over the family business, pursuing it daily with her parents in mind.

In the 23 years since she took over, Belia was certainly doing her best, with a work ethic that is truly something rare to find these days. As with so many others, however, no one was really ready for the early pandemic shutdowns.

"I was a casual Italian restaurant where people could come in, enjoy a nice bottle of wine with their significant other. Anniversaries, birthdays, you know, special events. With the shutdown, it pretty much took all that away," Belia said. She used to do wine pairings and various special events periodically, and it was all taken away with the initial shutdowns. "To bring it all back, it took a while because once we shut down, a lot of my staff left and I was at pretty much a skeleton staff. From that point on, just trying to bring people back has been almost impossible."

During the course of the pandemic, Franco's took to delivery and curbside pick-up and was also able to work with the Diamond City Partnership. "They were actually able to give me tents and heaters so that I could do external seating for my guests. They've done a lot for us and we work side by side with them," Belia explained.

That said, as we enter nearly the third quarter of 2022, almost two-and-a-half years removed from initial shutdowns, staffing remains to be a big issue.

"To do sit down at the caliber that I used to do is difficult," Belia admitted, further noting that sometimes guests do get a little upset. "But when you only have one or two working the front counter, it's almost impossible to give the customer service that we strive to give."

Belia, however, with her husband Phillip, and the rest of her crew, stays at it everyday, running the kitchen entirely by herself and doing whatever else is necessary.

As Franco's continues on, Belia offered her gratitude to the community. "I want to say thank you to everyone. We have 48 years in the industry and I couldn't have done it without the love, support, and dedication of all the community that comes in on a weekly and monthly basis. I just want to say thank you. I'm wholeheartedly humbled and I have a lot of gratitude towards them for sticking with us over all these years," she said.

Be sure to check out Franco's on Facebook @ Francoswbpa, where there's a link to the full menu, as well as the lunch specials, contact information, and all of their latest news and happenings, as well as online ordering. Belia confirmed Franco's is on Slice, GrubHub, and will soon be on DoorDash. Franco's also offers on and offsite catering.

"It's ethnic Italian food," Belia said. "I do everything with love. Everything's from my heart. It's in my DNA."

Franco's is currently looking to fill positions such as delivery driver, short line and sauté cooks, a front-end manager, and "all aspects of help," as Belia put it. To apply, either stop in Franco's and fill out an application. Belia offers on-site interviews. Prospective employees can also send messages via Facebook or email @ franco.wbpa@gmail.com, or call during business hours at 570-822-2168.

Franco's is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.