A little Johnny
Macaroni’s history

John Vallarelli, the founder of Johnny Macaroni’s restaurants, learned the restaurant business from the ground up. John opened his first restaurant in 1980, a family-owned business, in Newton, MA in 1980.  After ten years of managing several restaurants, John decided to follow his dream of building a business for his family. In November 1996, John purchased the “Wee Bee” restaurant in East Bridgewater, MA, and the transformation began with the help of Chiasson Builders. Johnny Macaroni’s opened its doors to our first customers in February 1997 with a 50-seat restaurant. With the loyalty and support of so many local families over the years, it became evident that we needed to expand. Although we understood the ‘quirkiness’ of the original building, we also wanted to maintain its integrity. So, in November 2013, we purchased “Heather’s Place.” After months of renovations from our trusted building partner, Chiasson Builders, we opened our second location in February 2014. In March 2018, Johnny Macaroni’s opened a new location for take-out and catering pick-ups and delivery on route 106 in Halifax, right by the Halifax / East Bridgewater town line.

We truly are a family-operated business. John continues to lead the vision for the Johnny Macaroni’s brand. In 2016, the company introduced Johnny Macaroni’s line of sauces which can be purchased online and found in many food and specialty stores throughout MA and RI. John and his wife, Cheryl, continue to develop partnerships and manage business development. 

We are so grateful for our loyal, local customers from East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Bridgewater, Halifax, and many other surrounding towns. Johnny Macaroni’s is all about family; our customers and staff are no exception. John’s oldest son, Christopher Vallarelli, has been with Johnny Macaroni’s since opening day and now serves as Director of Restaurant Operations. Two more sons grew up in the business, Jonathan Vallarelli and Jensen Vallarelli, helping Dad out in the kitchen at a very young age. Jonathan now serves as General Manager at all three locations. We consider our staff a part of the Johnny Macaroni’s family, and many employees have been with us for 10-20+ years. For example, Deborah Higgins, Front-of-House Manager at our original location, has been with us since the beginning - 25 years and counting. Many of our team start as high school students and remain with us while attending college or raising their own families.

Our mission remains the same as the first day we opened – serve wholesome Italian meals and sauces just like our customers remember enjoying at “Nonny’s” home on Sunday afternoons as a child. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers the authentic and delicious Italian cuisine they’ve come to love while introducing new creative twists on the classics.

Eat well, laugh often, love much. Bon appetito!