Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins Wide Receiver, signed autographs at Paisano’s in Gainesville on Tuesday evening in honor of their grand opening.
Though the Paisano’s Restaurant at 7368 Atlas Walk Way in Gainesville had been opened since July, the Sept. 23rd meet-and-greet with Garcon officially introduced the newest location of the Northern Virginia pizza chain to its new neighbors in the Gainesville/Bristow area.
“Everyone seemed to really enjoy it-get a big kick out of it,” said store manage Jennifer Kane of the event.
Kane said there was easily 300 people standing in line over the few hours that Garcon signed autographs, spoke with local fans and posed for photographs.
“The line was really long for a long time,” said Kane, noting that people began showing up as early as 3 p.m.
There were plenty of fans proudly dressed in burgundy and gold attire, while others, who came right from work, did not have time to get into the spirit.
However, Anthony Robinson, who works as a delivery driver at Paisano’s in Gainesville, brought his 17-month-old daughter who was dressed in a Redskins outfit.
“I let my daughter take a photo with him,” said Robinson. “He’s a real nice guy, pretty humble. His dad was with him and they both seemed like real nice guys.”
Creating a family-friendly atmosphere is important to the folks at Paisano’s, who want to be involved in the neighborhood, becoming the place that parents can take kids after school, activities or sporting events.
“A lot of people brought their kids,” said Kane, who noted that Garcon was gracious, taking the time to talk with everyone.
The event was also great for introducing Paisano’s pizza. As Redskins fans waited for Garcon’s autograph, they chatted and snacked on Paisanos pizza, calzones and other menu items.
The fact that the event was held on a Tuesday also helped to benefit one of Paisano’s charities, “Share the Pie,” by donating a portion of their profits once a week to Tara, an 8-year-old girl in Fairfax with brain cancer.
“A lot of people did order food, so we did benefit a lot from it. Overall, I would call it a huge success,” Kane said.
Robinson hopes that Paisanos will hold similar community events at their Gainesville location.
“I wouldn’t mind doing that again. It’s definitely good for the community and letting people know that Paisanos is here in Gainesville,” Robinson said.
Meanwhile, the Pierre Garcon event in one sense is just getting started. Whatever individual or company orders the most pizza from Paisano’s over the regular football season will win Pierre Garcon delivering their pizza.
More information available at pizzapaisanos.com/pierre.php.
Support Bristow Beat - Donate Today!