A staple of Italian dining in Gloucester is celebrating a special anniversary this month. Sal’s Sicilian Pizza at Hayes has been open for business in the county for 30 years. The restaurant will be offering a special discount through January and will also be hosting giveaways.

Sal Leone III, who owns the restaurant alongside his cousin Frank Lafata, said the best thing about running the restaurant for three decades has been the relationships he has formed with the loyal customers that walk through the doors.

"We’ve seen a lot of people come in. We know a lot of people. A lot of people have passed. And we’ve watched little kids grow up to be parents themselves," Leone said.

Leone was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved with his parents, Salvatore Leone Jr. and Rosalia Leone to Gloucester, where they opened Anna’s Pizza, a restaurant that has been open in Main Street Center for 40 years. Sal Leone later broke away, forming his own restaurant.

Leone’s wife, Martha, and Lafata are both originally from Carini, Sicily.

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