Pasta + Sauce formally opened Monday, Oct. 2, at 127 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau, in the same location proprietor Gabriele Ruggieri operated a previous eatery, Gabriel's Food + Wine.

Ruggieri opened Speck Pizza + Street Food, another Italian restaurant, September 2022 at 430 Broadway in Scout Hall.

"Pasta + Sauce is the same price point (as Speck)," said Ruggieri, a native of Milan, Italy. "(The brand identity change) is definitely an adjustment to the demographic. People have less money but still want to go out and enjoy food that doesn't cost too much — good quality pasta, good quality pizza, that's what I do."

The 4,000-square-foot restaurant is open six days a week, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday,

"Pasta + Sauce recreates the notion of a family who wants to have dinner out back in the 1970s and 1980s and not spend too much. Menu is designed so you can have a main course for $20 or less and everybody can gather together, the whole family unit, without spending a fortune," Ruggieri said.

Pasta + Sauce opened last week on North Main Street in downtown Cape Girardeau. It is proprietor Gabriele Ruggieri's second eatery in the city. The Milan, Italy, native also owns Speck Pizza + Street Food at 430 Broadway.Facebook

Pasta + Sauce opened last week on North Main Street in downtown Cape Girardeau. It is proprietor Gabriele Ruggieri's second eatery in the city. The Milan, Italy, native also owns Speck Pizza + Street Food at 430 Broadway.Facebook

Do you want more business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Go to www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.