Rigazzi’s (4945 Daggett), the iconic restaurant on The Hill known for its expansive menu of classic Italian cuisine and 32-ounce frozen “fishbowls” of beer, is under new ownership.
Longtime customers Corey Christanell and Donn Ganim purchased the restaurant from Joan Aiazzi on October 18. Members of the Aiazzi family had owned and operated Rigazzi’s since its inception 66 years ago.
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The Team
John Riganti and Louis Aiazzi founded Rigazzi’s in 1957. (The name is a portmanteau of their surnames). Located at the intersection of Daggett and Boardman, Rigazzi’s can lay claim to being the oldest continuously operating restaurant on the Hill. The restaurant underwent two expansions, including a complete remodel after a fire in 2000. The seating capacity is 330 inside, which includes banquet rooms upstairs and downstairs. A covered street-facing patio brings capacity to 360.
Over the years, the restaurant has become known for reasonably priced Italian dishes. (Aiazzi had been a chef at Ruggeri’s, one of The Hill’s legendary eateries.) It also gained notoriety for its 200-plus item menu and 32-ounce frozen goblets of beer, called “fishbowls.” Mark Aiazzi, Louis’ son, ran the restaurant for 40 years. Mark died in 2013. His wife, Joan, took over and promised her kids that the restaurant would never be put up for sale until the time and buyer were right. When longtime patron and family friend Corey Christanell approached Aiazzi in April, they negotiated the sale.
Christanell and business partner Donn Ganim closed on the property in mid-October. Christanell worked for more than two decades at Anheuser-Busch. Ganim ran a restaurant (Jeremiah’s) in Cape Girardeau for 13 years before returning to St. Louis, where he now operates several franchise beauty salons. The duo has remained friends since they were college roommates and frat brothers. Both have been Rigazzi’s customers since their youth.
Christanell grew up in St. Louis and spent his childhood on The Hill. His grandmother was Mama “Nana Kate” Toscano, of Mama Toscano’s fame, a business that began as Toscano’s Market and evolved into producing toasted ravioli, prompting a name change. For years, Mama Toscano’s was one of the most prolific wholesale and retail suppliers of T-ravs. Mama Toscano’s closed in December 2021, when owners Nick and Patricia Toscano retired.
“I worked there for four or five years when was I was a kid doing menial stuff,” Christanell recalls. “It was cheaper [for my parents] than hiring a babysitter.” He later worked at family-owned restaurants and pizzerias, including Pepper’s on Gravois, which his father owned. After college, Christanell worked for more than 20 years at Anheuser-Busch, rising to senior director of the company’s sports and entertainment division, a role in which he promoted A-B’s brands in bars and restaurants. “I’m certainly no stranger to the business,” he says.
In April, on the same day as the Cardinals home opener, Christanell says he was eating at Rigazzi’s after the game and approached Joan. He told her that if she ever wanted to sell, he’d be interested in buying. Her response, as he recalls it: I’m ready.
Christanell adds, “To be honest, had it not been for the history of Rigazzi’s and all that’s now going on around it, I wouldn’t even have been interested.” (He’s referencing the adjacent $75 million La Collina Terrace, a development spanning more than 250 apartments, townhomes, and single family homes, as well as a major law firm moving its office into a nearby building and the likely development of a vacant lot across Boardman Avenue.
Ganim adds that Aiazzi told the duo she had entertained other offers but was influenced “by the Toscano family connection, knowing that both of us grew up coming here and [that] we realized what the restaurant means to the community.”
In addition to Christanell and Ganim, veteran restaurant manager and chef Joe Herbert (formerly of Chez Leon and Whole Foods) has been hired as co-general manager, joining John Thomas, who’s been with the company for 43 years. Local restaurant consultant Greg Hard has also been retained to assist with the transition.
The Menu
The first order of business for the menu is to make sure that the staples are “fully dialed in,” Christanell says, referencing the top 10 Italian dishes that guests expect to find, including meatballs, lasagna, cannelloni, and ravioli. He also seeks to ensure that house favorites—Parmicianos, tutto mare, chicken dishes—are the best they can be. “The focus will be on freshness.”
The duo also wants to up Rigazzi’s pizza game and correct any anomalies. “We have chicken wings, but we don’t have chicken spiedini,” Christanell says. “Then again, there are over 200 items on the menu already, so we’ll have to decide what to do with the slow sellers. And we definitely plan to continue—and increase—our catering presence, along with online ordering, better website functionality, and a social-media refresh.”
Ganim emphasizes a desire to update the bar’s offerings. “That’s what Corey did when he was with A-B. He knows how to modernize and streamline a drink menu, and he knows that the bar is the gateway to the restaurant.” More of an emphasis will be placed on Italian-influenced spirits and cocktails, Ganim says, so expect to see more aperitifs, grappas, limoncellos, and riffs on Aperol spritzes, as well as a focus on classic cocktails and an expanded selection of bourbon, including Mark’s Manhattan, an homage to Mark Aiazzi.
“But rest assured, the 32-ounce frozen fishbowls aren’t going anywhere,” Christanell adds. “In fact, we’re adding a smaller size—or two—which opens the door to things like frozen slushies and even fishbowl sundaes.”
Rigazzi’s currently sells approximately 1,000 fishbowls of beer each week, including six mainstream beers and six craft brews, including Rigazzi’s Golden Ale, a locally made custom brew. Another fun fishbowl fact: When the partners entered into negotiations, they realized that the restaurant has registered the name “fishbowl” in two states—Missouri and Illinois—precluding any unauthorized use of that term.
Rigazzi’s existing hours (lunch and dinner every day but Sunday six days a week) will remain unchanged, as will its 8 a.m. opening time—a possible result of the three-shift factory originally located across the street. And in addition to its 3–6 p.m. happy hour, Rigazzi’s boasts an “RN Special” happy hour from 8–10 a.m. Monday through Friday, an unofficial nurses gathering that became a permanently scheduled event.
The Atmosphere
Mike Rust, a restaurant designer from Cape Girardeau, has been enlisted to help spearhead the cosmetic changes. “He has a distinct style,” Ganim says, “one that St. Louis hasn’t seen yet.” The progress will take place room by room.
First, Christanell wants the bar area to be more separated from the dining room and become a destination all its own. The seating configuration will change, high-top tables will be added, and the stand-up drink rail will be removed. The existing stained-glass chandeliers may be moved elsewhere. And TVs will get added, “but not a sports bar number of TVs,” he says.
The demarcation between the dining room and same-level private room will be softened to make the space more cross-functional. “We’ll examine the details—from what’s on the walls to what’s on the tabletops—making sure it all remains approachable and family-friendly. In a perfect world, the upstairs room and bar may take on a more upscale vibe,” says Christanell. “We’d like to create more of a date-night feel up there by adding higher-end finishes.” The stairway wall to that room depicts a mural with characters from The Godfather trilogy. (Insiders know that the face on the bishop is that of Mark Aiazzi.)
The only music in the current space comes from a jukebox. Christanell plans to play Italian-themed music and occasionally book live acoustic acts, which he predicts “will have a tremendous impact on the vibe.”
In general, he says, patrons can expect a high-level “freshening”—the kinds of upgrades and improvements that get put off when day-to-day operations get in the way.
The Future
Beyond upgrades to the existing space, the partners have laid the groundwork for expansion. They bought the property all the way to Shaw Avenue, a block from the entrance to The Hill, a rectangular lot that includes green space, a parking area, and a “blank-slate building.”
“I’m pretty sure I speak for the entire crew when I say that we appreciate the past and are excited for what the future will bring,” Christanell says. “We must embrace the history, but as the Hill has evolved, so must Rigazzi’s. It’s time for a refresh…to remind people who have forgotten about it, those who may never have visited in the first place, and especially the folks who say, ‘I love Rigazzi’s, but I haven’t been there in 30 years.’”
Asked to summarize Rigazzi’s future, Ganim says, “Embrace the history while evolving with the neighborhood.”
Christanell’s take: “Fun, food, and fishbowls.”
