SAUGUS — Oz Rahman doesn’t want residents to think of the mafia when they hear the name of his new restaurant on Lincoln Avenue.
While some might immediately think of Martin Scorcese’s classic 1990 crime film, the Goodfellas Italian Kitchen co-owner said the name was chosen based on the type of people he hopes will frequent this restaurant.
“At the end of the day, with some of the things that we have been through, I think it’s a bunch of good fellas; you know, we’re just a bunch of good fellas just trying to make it and try to do something positive in the community, but at the same time be successful,” said Rahman. “I think that’s the ultimate American Dream for almost everybody right? You want to try and stand on your own feet and have your own business and be successful.”
While Rahman is excited to put down business roots in Saugus, the new restaurant has not escaped controversy; it was originally slated to be called Alfredo’s of Saugus, but the owners of Alfredo’s Italian Kitchen in Lynn claimed that the Saugus restaurant was not allowed to operate under that name.
Rahman said after speaking with their lawyers, they were told that opening under that name wasn’t illegal, but they still ultimately decided on a name change because they didn’t want to deal with the possibility of bad press.
Rahman said he hopes that Goodfellas will be a place where families who don’t feel like cooking can order out and get a quality meal. He said he wants to offer quality food at competitive prices in a timely manner. The restaurant will have sit-down eating options and will offer takeout. The menu will consist of Italian staples such as pasta, pizza, calzones and subs.
When it came to deciding on Saugus and finding a location, Rahman said the stars seemed to align for him and his co-owners.
“We love Saugus,” he said. “Every time you want to go to eat some good food you go to Route 1; there’s tons of places, there’s great restaurants and everything.”
Rahman said he was also grateful for the support he has received from the town and its residents. People have stopped by to say hello, he said, and he hopes to be a part of the community by helping out with some events, such as this year’s Founder’s Day festivities.
Another selling point for him in Saugus, Rahman said, was how supportive Town Hall is of first-time business owners.
“I don’t know if it’s like that with other cities or whatnot, but for me that was excellent,” Rahman said. “They were really friendly, always communicating with us, and letting us know what to do with the next steps.”
A lot of the ingredients that Rahman uses are locally sourced. For example, the pasta the restaurant plans to serve will be delivered every day from a local supplier. He added that it was important for him to be able to use local ingredients.
“When we were coming up with the concept for this restaurant we were like ‘who can we work with,’ you know, within the town and city to see that we can locally source our ingredients,” said Rahman. “That aspect of the logistics is probably one of the biggest questions that any restaurant or any mom-and-pop shop or any commercial restaurant will come into play.
“How do you get those locally-sourced ingredients and add that to your menu? Where you can not only have quality ingredients but they’re locally sourced?” he said.
Instead of going to the North End in Boston to find fresh pasta, Saugus residents will have it in their own backyard thanks to Goodfellas, Rahman boasts, adding that their pizzas will always be made to order.
Goodfellas Italian Kitchen has received approval to operate from the Board of Selectmen and plans to open next week.
