New Eatery Opens Doors Along Mill Street

The heat in the kitchen, the line at the pastry counter, and the seven occupied tables that comfortably accommodate 25 people seem a good omen for Loretta’s, a breakfast and lunch restaurant, opened last month in Bristol Borough.

Loretta’s owner, Lou Busico, the son of prominent Bucks County defense attorney Louis Busico, has had experience in the food industry – for two years, he owned a catering service that involved private pizza parties. He also worked as a waiter at Veccia Osteria, in Newtown Township, and more recently, he opened and managed a pasta restaurant in Ewing, New Jersey.

Busico calls his latest adventure a learning experience in real-time. About hiring in an environment where workers are scarce, he considers himself lucky.

“I had people come in to ask (about working) and I now have four employees working as one unit. The chefs include me and one other person,” he said.

Inventory – figuring how much to order and when – was also a new experience, the business owner said.

For now, sandwiches and pastries are the mainstay of the breakfast menu. Among the specialties in that lineup are a potato and egg sandwiches, and a sandwich called Carbonara: eggs with prosciutto, provolone and Parmesan cheese.

Pastries and bread come in from Staten Island, and coffee comes from Italy by way of Viva Café, international distribution service. Lunch fare includes a variety of meatball sandwiches, Ribeye Cheesesteak, Italian Sausage, Roasted Eggplant.

In addition, there’s a couple of $5 “Try-it-you’ll-like-it” kind of dare to “trust us” items: Pizzazz Pie, made with American cheese and banana peppers; and Upside Down Pie, featuring tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Lorretta’s took the spot left vacant by Angelina’s Bake Shop in the 300 block of Mill Street. The bake shop closed in May.

Busico said it took time to decide on a site for Lorretta’s, a restaurant named in honor of his maternal grandmother, who died when his mother was 7 years old.

“I looked around in Yardley, Newtown, and Langhorne. Then my dad suggested Mill Street in Bristol,” the younger Busico said.

He looked at the location on a Monday and was signed up by the following Friday. From there was a matter of updating what had been a bakery. The room was “a shell” he said, and it was just a matter of painting and decorating.

Even as he attracts as solid base of customers, Busico considers his future.

“I’d love to do a family-style dinner service that includes a set menu plus various options,” he said.

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