When Aldo’s Pizza owner Aldo Alu opened his restaurant in 1971, he had a lot to learn. He was still working on his English, which he did not know when he emigrated from Sicily, Italy, five years earlier, and he had “no clue” how to start a business.
Still, he managed to mix his experience of working at another Italian restaurant with his dough recipe and sauce recipes by his wife, Susie — and with just under $1,000, he launched Aldo’s Pizza at Fifth Street and Grand Avenue.