Feeding the Community
215 Highland Ave . Williamstown , WV 26187
304-375-3633 villadavinci . com
DaVinci ’ s Italian Restaurant is nestled in the center of the little town of Williamstown , WV , just a mile or so off I-77 and 10 miles from Parkersburg . The only fine dining restaurant in town , DaVinci ’ s has been a community lynchpin for 41 years . Beginning as a tiny pizza joint in an old gas station , DaVinci ’ s has evolved over the years into a large , full-service restaurant with seven dining rooms seating 650 , separate event areas and a patio for outdoor dining . Its bar hosts a regular crowd , and on any given night there will be celebrations going on all over the restaurant — birthdays , anniversaries and even deaths are memorialized here over traditional Italian food , upscale gourmet specials and comfort food from the daily menu .
This past year has been a challenge like nothing owner Chris Bender has ever faced . A year ago , she had 91 employees , including a new public relations representative to ramp up the community profile and expand the restaurant ’ s reach , and a plan to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the business in April . Three weeks into this new plan , the COVID-19 hammer came down and life changed dramatically .
After Governor Jim Justice gave the order to close all nonessential businesses , DaVinci ’ s created a town-to-town dropoff menu featuring family meals . They took orders in advance , and their trucks showed up in central locations in remote areas . Parked in an empty bank or elementary school parking lot , employees handed out family-size dinners to a line of cars . The idea immediately took off , as people in rural towns now had access to the famous DaVinci ’ s food . No employees were let go — if they wanted to work , Bender kept them working . Through it all , Bender quietly continued to help feed those in need through local food ministries hit hard during the pandemic .
Now the restaurant is back up and running , masked and socially distanced , at half capacity . Many people still choose to eat at home , however , so DaVinci ’ s food continues to go out . The restaurant ’ s most famous pizza , the German pizza , has seen a 300 % increase in sales , and is now available in several local grocery stores .
This tumultuous year has been a drain on the energy and finances of restaurants all over the world , but DaVinci ’ s held on and is coming back strong thanks to community support from all over the Mid-Ohio Valley . Bender looks forward to returning to normalcy , with catered weddings , outdoor festivals and big corporate parties , but for now , she ’ s very grateful to be able to continue to serve great food to nice people in her home away from home in Williamstown .
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