Napoleone's Pizza House, a popular restaurant in the South San Diego suburb of National City, is telling its history.
The restaurant has been in business under the same family for three generations. It opened in 1958, and is now run by Peter Crivello.
Crivello decided he wanted to put the history of the restaurant, a local landmark, on its walls. He meant it literally, and asked his friend Augie Lugo, an artist, to paint cartoons directly on the walls. Crivello said the eatery needed to be spruced up anyway, and telling its history seemed a perfect solution. He could clean up the place and tell the story at the same time.
Lugo has been painting Napoleone's windows for Christmas for 30 years, and started on the interior walls approximately four months ago. He has painted a number of cartoons on the walls, telling the story of the place in chronological order. The story starts in Naples, with Crivello's uncle Mike coming to America with the family recipes. The first painting thus depicts three generations of the family.
Part of the restaurant's appeal is its link to Tom Waits, who washed dishes here from about 1963 to 1968. Waits is now an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Crivello might work with a flyer printing company to create a handout that depicts the cartoons and the restaurant's history. They could be picked up by restaurant patrons who could pass them on to others.
