Owning a restaurant in the college town of South Oakland is quite a different experience than owning one anywhere else. Especially when the majority of the customers are inebriated college students after the tender hour of 11 pm.
Sorrento’s is a family run Italian restaurant that is known for the $5 pizza deal after 8pm. So, it is only expected that broke college students will flock to this offer after all the house parties have run out of Natty Light.
Needless to say, there have been countless hilarious and slightly absurd moments that the owners of Sorrento’s have witnessed during the late night hours at the restaurant. I had the opportunity to talk with the owner, Aaron, and get a list of the top five most outrageous moments at Sorrento’s that seem to have stood out the most.
1. Sometimes it is extremely difficult to suppress the raging hormones that can be brought out in the romantic atmosphere that Sorrento’s offers. Aaron described a night when he allowed one young lady to use the restroom and then watched her male friend join her two minutes later. After a few minutes, and an increasingly long line for the restroom, Aaron was forced to break down the door and find the couple having passionate sex.
2. At one point, Sorrento’s was decorated with a huge Italian flag. One young woman became unusually attached to the flag and demanded that she be allowed to take it home with her. The Sorrento’s staff told her that the only way she would be permitted to leave with the flag was if she publicly ditched her current outfit and wore the flag home as a dress. The flag hasn’t been seen since.
3. The Sorrento’s delivery boy had one particularly rough week when his car was stolen not once, but twice within a matter of days. The second time it was stolen, the car was not seen for four months until the police found it with the thief’s backpack and personal information in the trunk.
4. One particularly crowded night, a young woman decided to take the entire tub of oregano seasoning from the kitchen and personally sprinkle and season every pizza in the restaurant. Aaron eventually noticed and chased the young woman all the way to Bouquet Gardens where she ditched the oregano stash and successfully got away. Aaron now prefers to wear sneakers instead of sandals in case another situation like this one presents itself.
5. One young man became intensely obsessed with a picture frame that is hanging on the wall of the restaurant. He decided he absolutely needed it and proceeded to run out of the restaurant with it. Five blocks later, Aaron tackled the thief’s friend and forced him to locate the reckless robber. No charges were pressed, however an apology was accepted.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1C1SKPL_enUS432US433&biw=136…