Villa Charities 2018 Annual Report VC19_AnnualReport_Interiors_Apr29_FNL2 | Page 40

BY THE NUMBERS
73,000+
columbus centre
food services
Guests served at
Ristorante Boccaccio
and Caffè Cinquecento
10,000+
Pizza slices sold
Special dining events were a popular
success with customers of the
Food Services department’s Ristorante
Boccaccio and Caffè Cinquecento
in 2018.
28,000+
Espresso & Coffees sold
Caffè Cinquecento hosted four “Pizza
nel Parco” (Pizza in the Park) events
and introduced a new “Friday Movie &
Pasta Series” featuring Italian-themed
films accompanied by a selection of
pasta dishes. The series kicked off with
classic Spaghetti Western films. Both
these events will have a regular run
throughout 2019.
Ristorante Boccaccio, meanwhile,
continued its popular Italian Theme Night
dinners, featuring dishes from Calabria,
Sicily and Liguria. The restaurant also put
a new spin on its theme dinners in
collaboration with the Villa Charities
Cultural department: a special dinner
based on recipes from novels by the
popular Italian-inspired writer Donna
Leon accompanied by lectures on Italian
novelists Tomasi di Lampedusa and Italo
Calvina. The event was a perfect blend of
food, culture and community.
40
VILLA CHARITIES
ANNUAL REPORT
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
• Ristorante Boccaccio built on its
increasingly popular participation in
Toronto’s Winterlicious and Summerli-
cious programs, attracting almost
1,000 new and returning guests
over the combined four weeks of
both events.
• The restaurant partnered with the
popular OpenTable online reservation
app, drawing in new patrons via the
site. Since the program commenced
in August 2018, one-quarter of all
reservations have been made through
the app.
• Meals from Ristorante Boccaccio were
made available for delivery on the
SkipTheDishes app.
41