Blast from the Past: Q&A with Owner of Pazi’s Diner
Pazi's Place is a 1950’s-style family diner in East Providence, located at 380 Taunton Avenue and owned by 36-year-old RIC alumnus Jayson McVeigh.
As soon as you step through the door, you step back in time. From the checker-board floor tiles to the red vinyl lunch-counter stools to the walls covered with black-and-white celebrity photos.
This family-friendly diner, where everybody knows your name – if you’re a regular, serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Omelets are named after celebrities like Jimmy Dean and Marilyn Monroe. And all day every day the eatery serves up thick milkshakes with whipped cream and a cherry on top in tall, frosted glasses.
In this article, RIC News sits down with owner Jayson McVeigh to find out how he got here.
What’s the history behind Pazi’s?
This building has been a diner since the 40s. Originally it was called Harry’s, then it turned into Cebas, then Pazi’s Place. We’re a 50s style diner with a Portuguese influence. Paz is Portuguese for peace. Because we have a large Portuguese demographic in East Providence, there’s a lot of Portuguese-based foods on the menu to bring the local feel into the diner’s 50’s theme. I myself was raised in East Providence. Pazi’s is just two miles away from where I grew up.
What makes Pazi’s stand out?
The people who work here. The servers, the cooks, the front-of-the-house manager. They get to know you individually. I have a server who’s been here for 35 years. He knows everyone’s kids and the kids of their kids. Another server has been here for 10 years, and another for six. We’ve got a cook who’s been here for 12 years. We keep everything close-knit and we source locally.
As the owner, are you hands-on?
I’m here seven days a week. I get in at 5:30 in the morning. I prep the meats, prep the bacon, crack the eggs for the day and prep the line – typical cook stuff. Then I cook. I wait for orders to come in and cook. There are days when I’m here cooking all day.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was six, I wanted to be a farmer. By middle school I wanted to go into law enforcement, which led me to earning my political science degree at Rhode Island College.
And then you caught the business bug.
Yeah. While attending RIC, I started managing a Starbucks. I opened stores and dual-managed stores. You might say I was earning my M.B.A. at Starbucks. They have the entrepreneurial model that allows you to think and make decisions as an entrepreneur for your specific store. It prepared me to own my own business. I worked for Starbucks for 10 years and started dabbling in my own businesses until I bought Pazi’s four years ago in 2021.
What’s the best compliment you could get from a customer?
That I’m elusive. There are a handful of customers – even some of the regulars – who don’t know I’m the owner of Pazi’s. I’ve been called a busser, a host, a cook – I wear many hats.
Sounds like your ego doesn’t walk through the door before you do. What’s the top-selling meal?
The Big Sam – two eggs, two slices of bacon, two sausages, two pancakes and home fries.
What’s your favorite meal on the menu?
The Portuguese steak, which is a six-ounce steak that we hand cut and marinate in Portuguese spices. It’s among Pazi’s Breakfast Specials.
Are you’re having fun?
Every day. For me, it all goes back to the food – the presentation. My enjoyment is in presenting the final product – the perfect dish. The final product might also be serving 500 people on the weekend in a course of seven hours or 200 people on a weekday. The fun is in that sense of accomplishment.
Stop by Pazi’s where you can dine like it’s 1955.