DeVitos Cafe Hastings

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parkhouse
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DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby parkhouse » Mon Jul 21, 2014 6:49 pm

Hi, would anyone know where this café was, and do the DeVito family still live in the area?
Many thanks. Dave Carter (part of the DeVito family).

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Richard
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Richard » Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:47 pm

I think Devito's was both a cafe and a restaurant near what is now called 'Sports Direct' in Wellington Place (which used to be 'Woolworths')
There was also a Sainsbury nearby which went to what is now ESK.
There was also a Dimarco's cafe (1919 - 1985) near where McDonalds (1987 - present) are today.

Anyone know more detail ?

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Gerry Glyde
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Gerry Glyde » Tue Jul 22, 2014 1:37 pm

De Vitos was on Queens Rd two or three properties from the junction with Albert Rd. It was a ground floor cafe, coffee and ice cream parlour that had front and rear access on to Russell Street. There was a food prep area for sandwichs and other things on the next floor and above that a flat.

I was employed p/t there around 1972/3.
It was mainly run by two young sisters, and if I remember a guy who was husband of one of them. They were aged about 30-35 at the time. The parents rarely came in. One daughter was called Marissa but I can not remember the name of the younger woman.

Richard, there were two DiMarcos, next door to each other in Wellington Place where the dreaded McDs is situated. They had an adjoining door between the counters so there was some movement of staff between the two. One was as you say a restaurant and the other similar to but not as modern as DeVitos. There was a posting about DiMarcos on here some time ago

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Richard
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Richard » Tue Jul 22, 2014 2:36 pm

GG - thanks for clearing up my mistakes, it might be interesting to learn more about the families of these entrepreneurs and when they arrived in Hastings.

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Gerry Glyde
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Gerry Glyde » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:35 pm

Extract from Hastings Chronicle 85 Feb 9 -
The famous and popular Dimarco’s café in Wellington Place closed. It had been run by the Dimarco family since it opened in 1919. It was later demolished and replaced by McDonalds.1985 March -

DeVitos opened I think late 60s but have absolutely no source for it apart from my own memory

parkhouse
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby parkhouse » Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:45 pm

many thanks for all the information !.

Malc
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Malc » Sun Sep 28, 2014 1:25 pm

I worked for the Divito family in the late 60's working in holidays and Saturday mornings. Note the differnt spelling . There were two shops one in St.Leonards-on-sea at 8 Grand Parade which is now Pasta Pasta and I believe still owmed by the family. This was where the ice cream was made on site in a basement dairy. There was at least three ice cream vans (possibly more) run by Willy Weston, Arthir Simms and Danny (can't remember his surname). These were parked in an old stables yard in Weston Road,part of Caffyn's Garage . The other shop was in Queens Road and always a very busy Cafe. Food preparation for sandwiches ect was carried out on the first floor. The remaing floors were lived in by Joe & his wife Marissa. The family at that time were Frank (dad), Rubria (Mum), Joe (son), Lisa (Daughter), Mellissa (Daughter), Twig (Rubria's sister) never did Know her real name & Marisa (Joe's wife). Mrs Divito still lives local as does Lisa and I belive Mellissa. Frank passed away some years ago as did Twig.
My schooling came to an abrupt end in April 1971 due to problems at home so needed to find work to support myself.Frank very kindly offered me a full time job and later the tenency to the top floor flat at No.8. I remeber the family were very kind to me and generous at a very difficult time for me at the age of 15. I have lots of stories from that time if anyone is interested.

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Richard
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Richard » Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:41 pm

This is all really fascinating information and valuable for local history and would be lost without people like Gerry and Malc supplying information from personal experience.
I am quite sure that many people would be interested to hear more stories from that time before they become lost (as so many have already been permanently "forgotten"), by the passage of time.

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Richard
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Richard » Sun Oct 11, 2015 2:37 pm

Just around the corner from the Cinema entrance, along Albert Road:

Image

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Gerry Glyde
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Re: DeVitos Cafe Hastings

Postby Gerry Glyde » Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:37 pm

This photo was not the location of the most recent De Vitos which was on Queens Road itself and went the entire length out to Russell Street rear entrance. When I looked at the photo I thought that the building design looked wrong.

The location of the photo was at right angles to the Cinema on Albert Road. If you look at the comments at the side of the photo and then on the link to street view,the poster has explained the positioning. That version, perhaps under the previous generation management was a grill house. By the late 1960s it had moved to Queens Road and was an ice cream parlour and served sandwiches and cakes.


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