Pastini

Pastini, formerly known as Pastini Pastaria, is an Oregon-based chain of Italian-American restaurants. The brand was established in 2001 when Craig and Susan Bashel and Kara Hale opened its first location near Portland's Lloyd Center. It subsequently developed a regional restaurant network centered on Portland, with additional locations in Bend, Corvallis, and Eugene. The chain's identity is built around accessible Italian-American cooking, with pasta as its defining product category and a menu that also includes appetizers and other contemporary bistro-style dishes. Pastini occupies a casual-dining position between a traditional neighborhood Italian restaurant and a larger national family restaurant chain. Its restaurants emphasize a broad selection of pasta preparations rather than a narrowly specialized menu. The Bend location was reported to offer approximately 30 pasta choices in 2014, illustrating the breadth of the concept. Public descriptions of the brand have highlighted a combination of familiar Italian-American flavors, modern twists, family-friendly service, and comparatively approachable pricing. In 2020, Willamette Week characterized Pastini as Oregon's answer to Olive Garden, a comparison that reflected its regional scale and accessible interpretation of Italian-American dining rather than corporate affiliation. The business expanded rapidly in Portland during its first years. After the initial 2001 opening, five additional Portland restaurants were opened within six years. By 2016, the chain had three Portland restaurants as well as locations in Bend and Corvallis. Expansion outside Portland began in 2008, when Pastini entered Bend and Corvallis. The Eugene restaurant, announced in 2016, opened in July 2017. A Portland location in the Studio Building near Director Park became one of the brand's more recognizable sites, including a large exterior sign. Pastini also previously operated a restaurant in Portland's Nob Hill district; that site was later replaced by Grassa. By 2017, public reporting described Pastini as having eight restaurants. In 2018, the Portland Business Journal identified it as one of Oregon's larger women-owned businesses, with approximately 300 employees. The chain's operating footprint and ownership structure have remained regional rather than national, and no public information in the supplied references indicates that it is publicly listed or part of a larger restaurant conglomerate. Pastini has received recurring attention in Oregon dining and family-oriented travel coverage. Fodor's included the restaurant in guides published in 2008, 2010, and 2011. A 2011 Oregon family-travel book described its pasta as inexpensive and elegant and presented the chain as a dependable family choice. Pastini also received first place in the Italian category of the University of Oregon's Daily Emerald Best of Campus 2020 edition, which praised its range of classic and contemporary dishes. The chain participated in community responses to regional crises. During the Santiam Fire in September 2020, Pastini supplied food to the Lyons Fire Department and donated proceeds from each meal served at its restaurants to the Red Cross Cascades Fire fund. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bend restaurant offered takeout service. In December 2020, Craig Bashel represented Pastini in the Rose City Downtown Collective, a coalition of businesses seeking to help revitalize downtown Portland after the pandemic. These activities illustrate a regional hospitality brand with a strong Oregon identity, a broad pasta-centered menu, and community involvement alongside its restaurant operations.

Pastini began operations in 2001 when Craig and Susan Bashel and Kara Hale opened the first restaurant near Portland's Lloyd Center. The concept was developed as an Oregon-based Italian-American restaurant chain, with a menu organized around pasta and other familiar casual-dining dishes. Its early growth was concentrated in Portland: within six years of the first opening, the owners had added five more Portland restaurants. One later Portland site occupied the ground floor of the Studio Building near Director Park in downtown Portland and became notable for a large exterior sign. During renovation work at that location, the business also discovered that restrooms associated with the Guild Theatre were technically located within its leased space. Pastini's geographic expansion outside Portland began in 2008 with restaurants in Bend and Corvallis. The Bend restaurant opened in the Old Mill District. By 2016, public descriptions of the chain identified three Portland restaurants, one in Bend, and one in Corvallis. The owners also confirmed plans for Eugene in 2016, and the Eugene restaurant opened in July 2017. The chain was reported to have eight restaurants by 2017, although the supplied material does not provide a complete location list for that year or confirm the exact current count. The brand's food proposition centers on Italian-American cuisine and a comparatively extensive pasta menu. The Bend restaurant was described as offering around 30 pasta options in 2014. This breadth, together with appetizers and contemporary variations on familiar dishes, helped distinguish Pastini as a regional family and casual-dining option. The brand has been compared with larger national Italian-American restaurant chains, but it remains an Oregon-centered business rather than a documented national chain. A Portland Nob Hill restaurant formerly operated by Pastini was later replaced by Grassa. Pastini received attention from travel and local dining publications. Fodor's included the chain in guides published in 2008, 2010, and 2011. In a 2011 family-travel book about Oregon, the restaurant was presented as a family-friendly destination offering affordable pasta. The Daily Emerald named it the top Italian restaurant in its 2020 Best of Campus edition. In the same year, Willamette Week described Pastini as Oregon's answer to Olive Garden, reflecting its accessible regional interpretation of Italian-American dining. The company was also involved in community activity during periods of regional disruption. In September 2020, Pastini supplied food to the Lyons Fire Department during the Santiam Fire and donated proceeds from meals served at its restaurants to the Red Cross Cascades Fire fund. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bend restaurant offered takeout service. In December 2020, Craig Bashel represented Pastini in the Rose City Downtown Collective, a business coalition focused on helping restore downtown Portland's economic activity after the pandemic. In 2018, the Portland Business Journal described Pastini as one of Oregon's larger women-owned businesses and reported approximately 300 employees. No supplied source documents a public listing, acquisition, parent company, or national ownership structure.

• 2020

  Fire-relief and downtown-recovery participation

  [1]Pastinien.wikipedia.org

  Pastini supported the Santiam Fire response and participated in the Rose City Downtown Collective during the pandemic period.

• 2018

  Recognized among larger women-owned Oregon businesses

  [1]Pastinien.wikipedia.org

  The Portland Business Journal reported that Pastini was among Oregon's larger women-owned businesses and had approximately 300 employees.

• 2017

  Eugene restaurant opens

  [1]Pastinien.wikipedia.org

  The Eugene location opened in July, contributing to a reported eight-restaurant network.

• 2016

  Eugene expansion announced

  [1]Pastinien.wikipedia.org

  Owners confirmed plans to open a Pastini restaurant in Eugene.

• 2008

  Expansion into Bend and Corvallis

  [1]Pastinien.wikipedia.org

  Pastini expanded beyond Portland with restaurants in Bend and Corvallis.

• 2001

  First Pastini restaurant opens in Portland

  [1]Pastinien.wikipedia.org

  Craig and Susan Bashel and Kara Hale opened Pastini's first restaurant near the Lloyd Center in Portland.

An Oregon regional casual-dining chain offering accessible, family-friendly Italian-American food with pasta as its core specialty.

• Italian-American cuisine

  Pasta dishes

  Pasta is Pastini's central menu category and the main expression of the brand's Italian-American positioning. The chain has been described as offering a wide range of pasta preparations, with the Bend restaurant reported to have approximately 30 pasta options in 2014. The menu approach combines familiar comfort-food formats with contemporary variations intended to appeal to families and casual diners.

• Restaurant meals

  Italian-American entrees

  Beyond pasta, Pastini serves Italian-American plates and other contemporary bistro-style meals. Public descriptions emphasize familiar flavors presented with modern twists, allowing the chain to serve diners seeking a broad Italian-American menu rather than a single specialized dish.

• Restaurant meals

  Appetizers

  Appetizers form part of Pastini's broader casual-dining offering and complement its pasta and entree menu. The available references do not identify a stable set of named appetizer products.

• Foodservice · 2020

  Takeout meals

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bend restaurant offered takeout service. The supplied sources do not establish whether this was a temporary pandemic response or a permanent standardized product line across the chain.

• 2020Santiam Fire relief support

  Oregon

  Pastini supplied food to the Lyons Fire Department during the Santiam Fire and donated proceeds from each meal served at its restaurants to the Red Cross Cascades Fire fund.

  Outcome. The activity provided direct meal support and charitable fundraising during the regional wildfire response; the total amount raised is not reported.

  Source
• 2020Rose City Downtown Collective

  Portland, Oregon

  Craig Bashel represented Pastini in a coalition of downtown businesses working to support Portland's recovery and revitalization following the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Outcome. The supplied source identifies Pastini's participation but does not provide a quantified outcome.

  Source

• 2020

  Pandemic-era operating responseOther

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted dine-in restaurant operations.

  Action taken

  The Bend restaurant offered takeout service during the pandemic.

  Aftermath

  The supplied sources do not document the duration or financial effect of the takeout operation.

  Source

• 2016

  Eugene market entryStrategy

  Background

  Pastini's locations were concentrated in Portland, Bend, and Corvallis, and the owners identified an opportunity to enter Eugene.

  Action taken

  The owners confirmed plans for a Eugene restaurant, which opened in July 2017.

  Aftermath

  The opening contributed to a restaurant network reported at eight locations in 2017.

  Source

• 2008

  Regional expansion beyond PortlandStrategy

  Background

  Pastini had established its initial base in Portland and pursued growth within Oregon.

  Action taken

  The chain opened restaurants in Bend and Corvallis, extending its operating footprint beyond the Portland market.

  Aftermath

  The expansion established Pastini as a multi-city Oregon restaurant chain; later growth included Eugene.

  Source

1. 1Pastinien.wikipedia.org