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Petrini's

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Petrini's
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryRetail (Grocery)
Founded1935
FounderFrank Petrini
Defunct1996
Headquarters
San Francisco
,
United States of America
ProductsGroceries

The Petrini's market chain was established in San Francisco and ran as a family owned business until 1989, when it was sold to Provigo.[1] The markets were widely known for having finest range of meat in the San Francisco area, and the marketing strategies employed all the stores who were still an inspiration for grocers nationwide.[2] At the beginning of the 20th century grocery stores were somewhat much like department stores with different partners owning and operating their own departments. The founder started out by operating the meat section of the Lick Market on 7th and Clement in 1935.[3] He then opened three other markets within a few years of that time.[3]

In 1956, the Falletti Family[4] and the Baldocchi Family[5] opened the grocery and produce concession at the Petrini Plaza, near Fulton and Masonic in San Francisco.[6] At the time of opening of that store, there were already four other large grocery stores in San Francisco.[6] The original store located at 2001 McAllister Street was torn down in 1996 and replaced by an apartment complex called The Village at Petrini Place, which included a Lucky Supermarket with underground parking. [7]

The Stones-town location continued to operate under the name Petrini's until 1996 but took heavy losses in 1993 [8] although the Petrini Family sold the chain in 1989 to Canadian company Provigo Inc. [9] In the 70s the grocery store that occupied the Stonestown Location called QFI became Petrini's in 1982. The original grocery store before QFI was called the Stonestown Market. [10]

Petrini's markets were known as being the very best markets in all the Northern California region for gourmet meats and food.[11] The butchers were well-trained and very well taken care of by the business owners.[11] The founder of the market, Frank Petrini, considered each of the market's employees as family, and encouraged the employees to treat each other as such.[11] He greeted his regular customers with a hug and kiss.[12] Frank Petrini carefully selected the cows that were going to be slaughtered for sale in his markets himself, he also rejected much of the bovine that were used for prime meat by other markets.[12] Petrini's markets were the first large grocery store chain to specialize in quality gourmet food, and Frank Petrini thus created a model that has been followed ever since. It has been followed by grocers in the United States as well as in Japan, Australia and Europe.[12] Some of the best selections of wine, coffee beans and European food in the San Francisco area could be found at Petrini's .[12]

Frank Petrini (third from right) and the butchers of one of the first stores in the 1950s

Petrini began working at age 12 in Italy, and was trained to be a butcher by the age of 14.[12] He traveled to the United States alone in 1922, being the first in his family to come to the U.S. He came directly to San Francisco with $5 in his pocket and started immediately working as a butcher from 6am to 7pm every day.[11] He originally wanted to go to college, but with the advice of a priest, who was the director of the English school he attended, he concentrated on becoming the best butcher in San Francisco.[11]

The Petrini's Market advertisements were known for containing inspiring quotes, which also appeared on the walls of his stores. These quotes earned him the nickname of "philosopher" among his friends.[2] these quotes were collected into a book which was published by R&E Publishing in September 1992 under the title of "The Proverbs of Frank Petrini: Food for Thought."

See also

References

  1. ^ California Secretary of State. "California Corporate Record". Archived from the original on 2007-05-21. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  2. ^ a b "Petrini's Market". San Francisco Chronicle. October 23, 1973. p. B2.
  3. ^ a b "Petrini's Market". San Francisco Chronicle. October 23, 1973. p. B2.; Groceteria.com. "Petrini's Chain (1935-96)". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  4. ^
  5. ^
  6. ^ a b Maslin, Marsh (October 13, 1955). "Just My Type: Frank Petrini's Dream Come True". San Francisco News.
  7. ^ MBH Architects. "Mixed-Use Portfolio: Petrini Place". Archived from the original on 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  8. ^ "Petrini's Grocery Sold". SF Gate. 1996-05-11. Archived from the original on 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  9. ^ Dowd, Katie (2018-01-21). "What Vintage Grocery Stores Looked Like". sfchronicle.com. Archived from the original on 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  10. ^ Dunnigan, Frank (2017-05-29). "Stonestown History". Outsidelands.org. Archived from the original on 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  11. ^ a b c d e Petrini, Frank (September 1992). The Proverbs of Frank Petrini: Food for Thought. R&E Publishing. xvi.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Frank Petrini: A Meaty Story". San Francisco Examiner. June 21, 1974. p. 26.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Petrini%27s&oldid=1209337094"