Hopatcong's Oldest Pizzeria Gets Makeover

While its neighbors at the Scissor Styx Hair and Nail Salon perform makeovers daily, The Grotto Restaurant is undergoing its first.

Since opening in 1968, The Grotto Restaurant hasn't had any big renovations, but owner Todd Acuna, along with Vermeulen Construction, is changing all that.

About two and a half weeks ago, Vermeulen Construction began renovating the outside of the building. Along with renovating The Grotto's outside, the company is also renovating the outside of the other companies in the plaza.

First a new sign was placed on the side roof of The Grotto, and now they're working on the outdoor siding and windows.

Acuna, Hopatcong-native who bought The Grotto in 1999, said there were no problems with the building, but a renovation was necessary.

"It was something we needed to do," Acuna said. "We need to update it for modern times."

Once the outside is finished, which Acuna said should take another week or so, Acuna and friends will begin planning the renovations for the inside.

Acuna said eventually The Grotto will have new covering on the walls, new flooring and new lights. The dining room area will be similar to the way it is now, but there'll be matching chairs.

"We're going for more of an updated look," Acuna said. "Maybe we'll change the countertop a little bit. Maybe we'll add tablecloths. We're still rambling through different ideas."

The summer season is the restaurant's busiest and, just in case the restaurant needs to be closed during renovations, Acuna said it'd wait a couple months before starting.

Acuna thinks the remodeling will be a good thing for The Grotto, and he hopes it will attract more customers.

"With the change of times, you've got to keep people interested. People like a new, fresh look," Acuna said.

Nick Dinapoli, an employee at The Grotto for three years, thinks the renovations will attract more customers.

"People will be like, 'Wow they decided to do something,'" Dinapoli said. "It's about time The Grotto gets renovated. It needs to be done. It'll absolutely be good for business."

Brittnie Bartley, employee at The Grotto for almost a year, has been pushing for The Grotto to undergo renovations. Bartley said she thinks the renovations will "definitely make The Grotto look better."

"I was excited when I found out because I've been bugging Todd to get it re-done. It'll probably help attract more customers," Bartley said. "You don't want to go by a place that looks run-down and say, 'Oh I want to go there.' If The Grotto looks different people are going be like, 'Oh, it got re-done. We should go in there again. We should try it out.'"

When asked if customers ever say anything about the state of the inside, Bartley said no one really complains, but they do notice how outdated it is.

"Nobody really says much about the inside other than the fact that it hasn't changed in years or they say it looks exactly the same," Bartley said. "I think people will be excited about these renovations."