A Fresh
First Year
BAR PAZZO REFLECTS ON
FIRST ANNIVERSARY IN
DOWNTOWN SCRANTON
What started as an idea between Corinne
Salko and her brother, Sam Agolino, has
grown into a rustic-style Italian restaurant
located in downtown Scranton.
Upon entering Bar Pazzo, patrons will
immediately notice its rustic atmosphere,
which includes an authentic gelato bar and
espresso café, as well as a full-service bar.
Additional features include brick ovens
imported direc tly from Italy and a private
dining room. As an added touch, patrons
can watch their meals being prepared.
“We want to keep this restaurant local and
have a good time,” Ms. Salko said. “It is
important to us to support our community.
The more people and businesses who
come into the city, the better. We are in
a great location and are fortunate to be
surrounded by other businesses.”
The duo opened their doors in May 2016
and are now celebrating a little over a year
in business. Through the help of Chamber
affiliate MetroAction, Bar Pazzo obtained
a small business loan to help make the
restaurant a success.
Ms. Salko was also pleased with the amount
of assistance the Chamber gave her with
promoting Bar Pazzo since its debut. The
Chamber promoted its grand opening,
and hosted its inaugural Meet Up for
Lunch there. Bar Pazzo was also one of the
featured locations in the Chamber’s Annual
Dinner video.
“Business grows through word-of-
mouth,” Ms. Salko said. “Thanks to the
Chamber, people knew who we were
and knew of our reputation before ever
setting foot in our restaurant.”
With the goal of high quality cuisine and a
fun atmosphere, the two like to mix it up so
guests continue to come back.
The restaurant business is in their blood,
starting with their father’s restaurant,
Agolino’s, in West Pittson. Ms. Salko and
Mr. Agolino also co-own Pazzo 315. MetroAction is the Chamber’s small
business lending arm. Providing more
than $6 million in loans to start-up and
expanding small businesses, MetroAction
supports the growth of strong, thriving
businesses in our community.
“We grew up with a work ethic that is
based on quality – if you don’t have that,
you don’t have anything,” Ms. Salko said.
“We opened Pazzo 315 in Pittston in 2005
and Sam wanted to make the move into this
area for a long time.” “MetroAction gave us the capital to make
this project possible, the entire process
took less than six months and everyone
was helpful,” Ms. Salko said. “I didn’t even
know that MetroAction existed, but I am
glad I discovered it.”
“Our chef is always changing up the menu
to be seasonal and we are always trying
new things.” Ms. Salko said. “We host a lot
of champagne and jazz-themed brunches,
as well as holiday ones. We like to push the
envelope and innovate.”
“We are relatively young to take on
something of this size, a lot of things needed
to be in place,” Ms. Salko continued. “We
have had far more successes than failures in
our first year – it is all about learning what
works and what doesn’t.”
Bar Pazzo is located at 131 N. Washington Ave., Scranton. They are
open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday until 11
p.m., Saturday from 5-11 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more
information, visit barpazzo.com or call (570) 871-4179.
www.scrantonchamber.com • 5