Toti's in Seekonk a Family Tradition for the Owners

Georgios Delis said his father started Toti's in Pawtucket more than 30 years ago, and it's been a way of life for him since as far back as he can remember.

"The restaurant was like home, I was in here seven days a week," he said. "We grew up in the restaurant, me and my sisters.”

Delis said he started working at the restaurant when he was 13, making pizza boxes and such. Back then, the store was a regular pizza shop, but later evolved into the full restaurant it is today.

"At 16, I was pretty much doing everything," Delis said. "My cooking got a little more advanced when we moved here. Basically, we were just pizza and subs until 2002, and when we came here we expanded the menu."

Delis said his father came to the United States from Greece in the late 1970s and opened the shop in Pawtucket, but moved to Seekonk, because he found a better location.

"The location is fantastic," he said of Seekonk. "It's 15 minutes from Providence, 45 from Boston and 3 hours from New York. You've got the beach too if you want."

He added, "It's not too much country, but just enough when you want to have your space. It's like the city as well because the amenities are close too. It has been good to us and we've been good to Seekonk."

Delis said he likes to experiment with the dishes as much as possible.

"It's big in food," he said. "That's how you learn new flavors and new tastes. Sometimes it's going to taste good and sometimes not. That's experimenting. You find something you like that works and stick with it. Having fresh seafood around helps too."

Delis said the restaurant donates to local churches, PTOs, youth sports and other youth activities. He is also starting to do events with charities where the charity takes home a percent of sales for that day.

"We see a big return and we're generally more generous than the chains," he said.

Toti's is located at 373 Taunton Ave. and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.