Ristorante Sapore Italiano on Peninsula fights loneliness, supports seniors by cutting prices of lunch buffet [Video]

BURLINGAME, Calif. (KGO) — With heaping trays of pasta, cheese-covered garlic bread and a seemingly endless bowl of salad, Elio D’Urzo is doing buffet lunch at his restaurant a little differently.

“This is a house, it’s not a restaurant, everybody knows each other,” D’Urzo said.

D’Urzo has owned Ristorante Sapore Italiano in Burlingame for 24 years.

About three weeks ago, he slashed the prices of their lunch buffet to just $9.99 from noon to 2 p.m. every weekday.

It would normally be $32 a person.

“With no advertising, the first day, there was 60 people,” D’Urzo said.

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He came up with the idea after having a regular group of seniors coming in for lunch to play poker with him during the pandemic.

This was a group he loved bonding and sharing stories with so much, he didn’t charge full price.

“I just charge a little bit, …