Avanti's Review ~ , -{-o ..£.ht /-4 d E'"t

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Avanti's is a flame that ~in Bloomington-Nonnah~and even more.SQ, 'lIllO.ng. ff'-lI~ro .S­

colr~ents. Avanti's is the place you go if you have a limited budget and want portion

sizes that-ke~p.-yo.ll fuJI for a we¥ No one will say Avanti's food is fine Italian dinning but,

they do offer decent food at a great price. This is the type of restaurant that downplays the 01en CiA} cAo{)~e.s--ro r

glamour and style for building and unifonnsAinstead,JocuspSon the quality of itS>staff. ({$. f- I f"11

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Joffi;1d/ v-It all startedj~me~71, when the doors first openedjft'~rother~Guiband C

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Albert Zelle~ uinntflg the show. For two years. the brothers ran Avanti's together,.i.n-tffrf973.; ) Of Ib)1~C fA n-h I h Ie d~~,jv.

wh..(Quido bought out his brother and ran the restaurant i.o--ti-H-hf~ in 2002. Today the 7" '- G{.( I 'd!J~r mantle of the Avanti's has been passed down to.Jhts"two sonJMarcus and Richard. Overall there

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are five locations where one can dine at Avanti' s.locat,ed in the cities of Peoria, East Peoria, II I' ~

Pekin, and of course Bloomin tD.o:N'.eFmal. (w hg,r(. t\ ~ *(L/,~ 'Z- 10 c t:i +£0;";: '/u J, ~ I ...{btA.'f' ~ I" CJ25 I ,.5~d .)

-jSU:> 6 J:f' The one closest to campus at 407 S. Main Street Nonna!" is right across from the new

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rec-center. When first arriving ~Avanti' s the first detail that one notices is the parking lot. It

shows many years of being well traveled and used. It £an be a bit trick);_.gStltingjn..amL01lLof thee50a /

parking spacing, for the lot is small an . ally full. When approaching the front entrance two ---- ~

sets of doors appear, one set for carry-out and one for dine-in. This duel door system really ali'lL -/,.

seems to improve the 1'~I.!Kin expe~ience, for it lowers the traffic in and out of the restaurant.

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The interior of the Avanti's is v~ with simpI1re4ffi.1reens.and offwlH-te Sed­" /I. /.' - tAl

fur--the eolOi of the paint used". There are some hand selected paintings that hang quietly on the --+t--e CO'l+\e:" lA \.-+~ -Po,..-tIA'a.. v-.pha Js+~

walls to break oftbe dull QftAl9'Colo~ The tables and chairs are oak wood ~nd brigh~i~

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The booths are over stuffed and ~er.y comfoaa-ble for everyone. The space of-the restaurant is f , I, rr ' , A , 1 +'I'le (tV Q. or<

.e#ec.+\ve.."c;I/ e""1"tICl~-f peCI<USe.. -+Ae..,ra... '> ~--r l-errl, W€-U used for tfle-re--a-re many tables and booths, aU-wi-t1£nuwh room to spread out and rela~ The J? Y

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restaurant interior sets the mood~what one would expect if going to a good friend's house for oo~S

4. v~if k. dinner.

Though the interior design sets the moo Jor a causal friendly dinner, it is truly the high~(-the. A c.n+,'s .Q.fpe" ..... Lc- IAJ6r~hw"",Ie. ,-nc...

quality of staff and the taste of the food that real I)' do the jotf.' The servers here are the highest in ~

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~g personabl:/and ~emto.t-R:tl1care for each and every o.ne that wal~s Inlt.fltlfjenti) -rv,¥--€/ ,II -+he,-, b-i-cr...f+ 5e/ec..-f,or>·

through,Jhe doors. Th~er team seems t01\prid~rfonthe hand s~lected SerY~r8 aH:d--­

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T~ne can a~t from Avanti's;home style pa~ta with a v~ of sauces, pizza, ---- 2: o.,-jl ~kic...h .. J'

and sandwiches-1'ba(are available through dine-'in, carry-out, deliver~ and ~banquet rooI11.5e (" u J ce

Av..anti's trademarkjhowever, is wonderful.vfresh Italian bread.\which i,s prepared and baked in -1'h.C--( r ,../

'1 ~restaurant kitchen every day. Their Gondolas are famous around fllinois State University for ~ L7 d :pO-rf,c14 IDJ ly <f' ~ 0--1- Bene:;

being~ broke college studentS)best friends when they want)itasty,--ane~sandwicIt;---fu::-s: ' pI 1\

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All and al;"Avanti's is one of those places where you ca~eople from all walks of _ whl)e.. ---rC.k-'27 Lo ........ Fo..+ J n 4.

lifeji'oming together for a short time to enjoy de}cent food at a great pric~ place that wht-..J-Ae..(

carries a warm touch of home.)flt beJtate2rm employees, families with small kidsJor a large

group of college students, all can be found enjoying the yummy bread of Avanti's.

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Final Pha1Se

Statement of Intent

In writing this review this I took the approach that I felt would give the readers

the best idea of what they could expect~~IY@eating the food from Avanti's ~~~

i~he whole experience. From the time thlpull in to the parking lot, to the interior design, / ---------­ ~

staff and of.s..ours~~~e food. I highlighted in-t-h-e-r-ev-i-e-w--;:-ro:;-1-=Z:'-C---I-~-e-l-o""""-b-o-th-p-ro-s-a-n-d-c-on of d' (7 )J

- -'--- vJ~tr.\vM~ . re- ~ the restaurant. In doing so, I~ c.2!:!!9 be unbiased in my writing of the review. This awdy it up' )

~ ~ to the reader to make twfu decision, if they like Avanti's or not, I merely provide some details

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from my own experIences there. h i +'-VLI./ l.l. (", !,kw -h ftl-W e.·~·y..,e·.( 0..( nO+- "I

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Jx' II The review I talked ~bout the history of..the Avanti' s~when it started, its

Ie--­locations, and who has owned it over the last forty years. All this information can be foundbt

the Avanti' s ~ebsite. In this website you can see the full menu, addresses of all the st()res, . .+J.,e. lOLa .:.A&t!Y\

the history, and everything really that one could ever want to know about~. With that, I ~:hOI~jh+1- ~sing this site was a great source to ussfor it is open for everyone to u@he and'

read abo~estaurants ..themselves. The site is www.avantisnormal.com. lo ~ .ti-d I h 14 «::\.1 Ii'- ov '1h,i~ rv>cv\C..e.S ~ S-e.I'"I:)e,., DI6- Y~Vo- -+r lo

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Next I talked in great detail about the design and layout of the building itself. Starting tt D <t> j fi-fr.o·V'Jtd(j J ~ ()pINY~

from parking lot, and working my way into~Avanti's. I~much of this information bf1'" r~v,~.u. 7

simply going to Avanti's and eating. While I was there I~s n all that I saw and how :/ fo"~ ,,6 f ctrf ~

the experience made me feel. (M~ notes of my visits to Avanti's can be found in the research~

of this project.) Just as importaeescribing what I saw, was in explaining the way it,made

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'0 \~ ~ me feel. Over all being there I really got e sense that I was at a good friends place for dinner. I

tried to show that in my review as unbiase s I could. I did find it difficult ill not being a little

everyone feel like they belong there.

-r0 bP 4' l.{r\,biased though when it came to that,asi~.becauseJh~a(Avanti's puts so much pride in making

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The m~st importa~aI1of Avanti' s is of course is the food and staff of the restaurant. I -F~ ,...+Jr-O/

did get a really good sense of both by just going there to ej bu0took it one step~r and got

an interview with one the staff 1~1.there. In this intervie')}ak~ really told me that the mangers~

really look for only the friendliest and most enthusiastic services and cook staff around. Jake

stated that many of the employees that work at Avanti' s now have been there for years, or had

family working there before them. The~as a compan)) take great care and pride in their work

force and in return it@2hecustomers.

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In the end/par I feel ~ all the infonnation I gathe~ and my experiencoes there at ~Mb(!-cl ,..,.(!.- -4'0 V-I,-t+(..< yell' I c.. I ~ IhlS all ovJS

Avanti's~~wthe best,..I cou15 ,Y{hicn was infonnativi ~Aherea~t01

~decideforthemselves if they like~ For in this world we as people are always being

told that we, need this, or we should do this, or this here will make our lives better. I just thought

that it \YQulQ. he a nice change to let someone think for themselves.

Visit One Went into Avanti's with Sam, Tim and myselflast Thursday. I arrived firstpbou\cten minutes before the agredIpon the time. In~that ten minute window ~the following notes ofthe restaurant itself. J -:t: M.D\6,~

ook a eel· :Ihe decor of~Avanti's is simple, and inexpensive. Heading in the restaurant ~a1m-0st-fool.sJike_enteringJ;lJti~nd's house for dinner. The color scheme is

~~ mellow greens, and w en..hr.U-wll} The Layout is done to both make ~, o,;ew.rcl

max us . a ow 0 able eating. There are plenty of booths and

tables so sitting £ one really wants does not seem to be a problem. / ~tre.

• Staff: l of the staff seem to be around college age or a little older. Well groomed and clean unifonns, friendly and seemjto be gently happy to be working there.

Menu: The menu is laid out in very straight forward and simple way, starting with drinkxand appetizers. Then sandwiches, (famous Gondolas) to their pasta dishes and everything in between. Priced really cheap for the quality and amount of food.

Order: e bread is the first I ate there and like always it is delicious and sweet. It is well known in these parts for being delicious. I had the half Gondola, which is still 12

inches. It consisted of a loaf of bread, ham, semolina, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pure goodness.

S~K e(• • was Jake he knew his menu, and was good at his job over all. He was happy and

well mannered.

• ostess: she was cute and polite and was happy to sit me were ever I wanted.

Avanti's is a local chain that locals either love or hate. There doesn't seem to be any in between when it comes to Avanti's. There are four locations in the Peoria area and then this one in

, N.oonaL I stopped in one night with a of the r..Q.Q.!!!!!}ates7w;Got there juSfbefore the dinner rush so getting a table for 7 was no p;.oblem. The waitress was very accommodating. We all needed separate checks so we could get receipts for travel expenses and our waitress never complained. She took our order then came with the drinks. I ordered the Italian Beef which is served on Avanti's fresh baked bread. The bread is the one thing everyone agrees on. It's outstanding. I added on mozzarella cheese and Avanti' s marinara sauce. This is probably the

only place I added on marinara instead of Au Jus. The flavor of the sauce and the breacl i at $ the sandwiclr'furnre. The rest of my party ordered various pasta dishes. They came with

choice of soup or salad. Pretty much everyone agreed the portion size was more than adequate. My bill with tip was $11. We got our meal quickly and were able to get out of the way for dinner

rush. The dining room is pretty big and they do a really good job of getting you in and out. Benefits to both you and them as the people who love Avanti's are more than enough to keep them bUsy,,~

• Pros: Cheap, friendly, fast, and tasty, has takeout, delayer and is fast in dinner room

• COD ~ Simpl •not a date place. Loud, always packed.

ih~5 I 'rv~tIIi.----~ Intervi€w with Jake. vJ D\}-. ~ \

fj If"~~ j L.

·s your position here and how long have you worked for Avanti's? ~rVJ~ A!

J: I am a shift leader and been with them for 4 years. '6~y E.: What would you say has been your overall experience been here at Avanti's? }rP

J: It has been one the best jobs I have ever had. The management team is great and very caring

towa~s. I love what I do. The people who come in here are like family to me. I have some

cusFEPnlYcome here to see me. That means a lot to a server who makes a living on tips.

E What is the number one thing the mangers look for in new hirers?

J: (he laughs a little) That is easy, they want someone who is going to show up to work and treat every person that works through that door like they would if it was their grandma.

E-- What is your top food to eat here after four years?

J: It is today what it was four years ago the Gondolas. I love those things.

E: Anything else you would like to add?

J: Yea, I would say this to anyone who has never eaten here, you missing out. /

Notes

(E- Stands f ~ spoke.)

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History - Avanti's Italian Restaurant - Bloomington Normal fL http://www.avantisnormal.com/history.h

Horne 'ACIlLJ5 SpcCJ.i.l1 PCOll1otlQnS Brcn.(J Shlppmg Banquet Room Fundralsltlg Company lnformn'lon Comm('111 C.Jrj E;:mploym""nt OpportUrillfC'3 ConlJcl U~

Our History

Awnti's Italian Restaurant was establisl1ed in-Normal, Illinois in JLnIl. 1971. Originlillly, the resta... was jointly owned and managed by two brother~, Gl,fdO<lnd Albert Zeller, In 1973, GUIdo boughl 0'- his brother and ran the operatJpn as the sale proprietor unl~ he passed away in 2002, Guido's brother leo joined the operation in 1976 and was an integral part of the business along the way. Today, Guido's two sons, Marcus and Richard are involved in til!' owners/Vp and management of lhe business. In June of 2009, Marcus and Richard opened"ll second BloolringlorFNormai location al 3302 Easl Empire in Bloomington, Illinois. Albert now ownsfive Avanli's Italian Resla...ants in Peoria/Easl Peoria/Pekin, Illinois.

Our restaurant cooks and serves home style pasta, pizza. and sandwiches thai are awilable through dine-in. carry-out, delivery and our banquet room. Avanli's Irademark however. ,s wondertul. fresh lIalian bread which is prepared and baked in our reslaurant kitchen. We have long been an institution for Illinois Siale UOIversily students and faculty and frequently see second generation guests and staff members.

Our slaff and management are experienced professionals who undersland how to prepare and serve steaming hot, delicious Italian meals and fresh bread in a clean and comfortable atmosphere. Awnti's lIalian Reslauranl prollides a very rare combination of homelike surroundings and high quality food.

Our company has developed a reputation for consistent. non-complicated dining through years of constant attention to details of our operations which include never stinting on the quality of raw food we select. nor trying to short cut its preparation. Se,,"ce has been, and will continue 10 be, personal and friendly to every guesl who enters lhe door.

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Daily Vidette Editorial Board

I-IQ~lth ic thQ rl·,nct~nt rh~IIQnnQ nf lifo

DAllY VIDETTE

DailyCartoollS

lsually debit cards are hailed as "plastic cash" he go-to option for most purchases. There are nal fees to have one and typically no minimal for your account balance. Well, times are chang­nd Bank of America is the first to take charge. Jast week, Bank of America announced th~y are : to start charging five dollars per month to their card users. This is not the only fee that is being

j - $12 per montll could be deducted if an av­balance of $1,500 isn't maintained. Along with

: ATM fees that seem to stack up, is there any­we won't be charged for?

\ccording to the Watertown Daily Times, "Banks leen charging retailers 44 cents every time a cus­rswiped a debit card to pay for their purchases: tive Saturday, those fees were more than cut in 021 cents under the Dodd-Frank financial reform Retail store owners have argued that it could re­

n lower retail prices since it will, save the com­money. rhis - Editorial Board believes that this extra hly charge is a way for banks to make even more ~y off of customers. With this new charge, it t force people to swipe theirc'redit card, possibly ng up more debt and interest and lowering credit s. \gain, the use of credit cards would benefit the ~- and possibly h1.!rt individuals, especially those live on lower income. Although the charge is nal, it can add up in the long run. lresident Barack Obama disagreed with Bank of rica's choice to tack on fees. During an interview ABC News he said, "Banks can make money ... can succeed the old-fashio!,!ed way - by earn­

ing it." His harsh and to-the-point criticism hasgained much attention and banks have fired back.

-With financial crisis affecting just about everyone and everything, it's hard to say whether Of not these fees will help. The manager of Consumers Union's financial services program, Norma Garcia, said that without the extra charge, banks would still be collect­ing enough money from the debit card transactions.

She also stated to ABC News that the added fee would Just be extra income for the bank, rather than covering expenses for debit card usage. If this is true, will other banks soon start charging their customers as

'well? Citibank has notified its customers about charges

if t!1eir accounts are too low; Chase' and Wells Fargo are testing out a monthly debit fee of three dollars in select areas, but they have not yet made a set decision to keep it a permanent charge.

According to CBS News, 66 percent of people said they would change the way they pay if there was a five dollar charge. Are Americans really that cheap or are we really that broke? Do big, national-chain banks really need to be stealing our money every month? ­

When it boils down to it, there are other choices. Other b<!nks and credit unions are available that are not currently charging for debit card services. Watch out for addedfees on your account and know your op­tions when it comes to opening new accounts at· new banks. Consumers can also use checks or even cold, hard cash. If money. can't buy happiness, it sure can make people upset. As the old saying goes, "A penny saved is a penny earned." It would be nice to be able to save ~very penny if banks didn't ultimately control our money.

ialpoluy is determined by the student editor, and.views expressed in editorials are those ofthe majority ofthe.Daily Videttes Opinions Council. IlS that carry bylines are the opinions ofthe author and do not necessarily represent those ofthe Daily Vidette or the univmity.