When Chris Vitiello opened the first Cousin Vinny's Restaurant & Bar in December 2009 at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, he didn't have a lot of management experience in the restaurant industry. At the age of 26, all he had was a lot of energy and ambition, and some very important wisdom from his father, Enzo, who told him that “if you treat your customers with respect, they will respect you and support you in return.”
Chris listened to his father’s advice and over the past 15 years he has developed the 220 seat Cousin Vinny’s Restaurant & Bar into a household name in Valley East and even opened a second, duplicate restaurant to serve customers in Rayside Balfour. For almost eight years the 170 seat Chelmsford Cousin Vinny’s has operated in Place Bonaventure Mall.
But Chris has never forgotten the message his father gave him at the beginning of his venture, and to that end, he is constantly forming positive relationships with community groups, sports teams and associations, schools, churches and service organizations, in an effort to utilize his two facilities to help people achieve their own goals and objectives. He feels strongly that if he can help others succeed, then they in turn will be able to improve the quality of life for many more people and the entire community will be that much better. It is a domino effect, and he is proud to be able to make a difference in the future of his family, his restaurant, and his community.
To that end, in order to show his sincere appreciation to the residents of Valley East and Rayside Balfour, Chris has decided to devote 2025 as “The Year of Community Building” at Cousin Vinny’s Restaurant & Bar. He is so grateful for the support of his customers in Valley East and Rayside Balfour that decided to implement several programs in 2025 that will benefit both communities.
For the older adults of the community, Cousin Vinny’s has dedicated a section of each restaurant as an Activity Centre for Seniors. Every day between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. seniors are welcome to drop in and use the area to play cards, board games, or to just meet with friends. During the year a number of organizations are going to be invited to sponsor activities that will appeal to older adults. There is no charge for using this space and no expectation that participants will purchase any food or beverages. It is simply being provided to help older adults become more involved with others and address loneliness and social isolation that are felt by many of our seniors.
Cousin Vinny’s Restaurants have also created a “Cash-Back Sponsorship” program for schools, churches, sports and recreation associations and service groups. Once registered in the program, the groups will receive 10% of all regular priced menu items that are purchased by supporters from Monday to Thursday each week. In addition, there are a number of other fund-raising activities that Cousin Vinny’s is willing to facilitate for the groups so that they can raise much needed revenue to support their activities. There is no cap on how much a group can generate through these programs.
In order to encourage local musicians and vocalists, Cousin Vinny’s will be providing the free use of their stage area and sound system, Mondays to Wednesdays. Chris is extending an open invitation to individuals, bands, school choirs, etc. to make arrangements with him to book a time, invite their friends, and then have a chance to perform on a professional stage to gain valuable experience.
The stage area is also being made available, Mondays to Wednesdays, for local organizations that would like to host presentations, workshops or meetings. There is no charge to use the facility, nor is there a requirement that the group participants purchase anything. Servers will be available if needed, but this is just a way of providing a central venue for providing worthwhile activities in the community.
Chris will do whatever he can through his restaurants to help community partners make this a better place to live for everyone of all ages. He sincerely appreciates the support of the Cousin Vinny’s customers and considers it a privilege to be able to help so many residents of the community.
Cousin Vinny’s Restaurant & Bar is located in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre and in Chelmsford’s Place Bonaventure Mall.
The web site for both locations can be found here. The phone numbers are 705-969-5644 (Hanmer) and 705-855-0003 (Chelmsford).