Keeping Tradition — Fratelli’s Restaurant in Middletown Celebrates 42nd Anniversary

By:  | April 22, 2025 |  Dining |  Middletown

by Emma Sylvia

It’s 1983 in Middletown, and just down the street there’s an A&P (a time before the chain will close), a pet store, a United Counties bank, Cards N Us, and a hair salon. Tucked among them sits a cozy pizzeria. Step inside, and you’ll hear the door creak open, the phone ringing off the hook, and the unmistakable aroma of homemade sauce drifting from the kitchen. Behind the counter, a young Michele Williamson is helping out, learning the ropes of the family business. Now, in 2025, Michele and her family run that very same place — Fratelli’s Pizzeria & Restaurant in Middletown — which is proudly celebrating 42 years in business. I sat down with her to reflect on what it means to carry forward a legacy built over generations. 

Williamson is originally from Hazlet but considers Middletown her true hometown — it’s where she grew up and where Fratelli’s first opened its doors. But the roots of Fratelli’s stretch even farther back, all the way to Messina, Sicily.

“My father was a butcher by trade in Sicily,” Williamson recalls. “When my parents came to America, they didn’t speak English and they had three kids already. My father arrived with just $42 in his pocket.”

Despite the odds, her parents worked tirelessly, taking on odd jobs, learning the language, and eventually they all became U.S. citizens. “They were old school,” she says. “My father taught all of us. He taught both me and my son.” 

Williamson’s father, Rosario Mazza, and her mother, Rita, worked side by side, with Michele and her brothers helping out as the family built their business. When Michele was just three years old, her father purchased their first pizzeria, Brother’s, in Long Branch. Six years later, her mother found a business for sale near the A&P in Middletown, and that’s when Fratelli’s was born. For a while, the family split their time between Long Branch and Middletown, but eventually, Rosario decided to sell the Long Branch location to focus solely on Fratelli’s.

“I grew up in the restaurant,” Michele says. “I learned everything from my parents — working the phones, waitressing, handling the kitchen. You did whatever needed to get done.”

In 2002, the shopping center where Fratelli’s was originally located began undergoing major renovations. Faced with the changes, Williamson — who had by then taken over ownership — decided to move the restaurant across the street to Union Square Shopping Center. In February 2003, the relocation became official. Even though it was a big move, she wasn’t alone.

“My parents were always involved,” she says. “My mother passed away in 2016, and my father passed away in January 2024. But we did everything together. It was — and still is — a true family business.” Her husband, Mark, was also by her side during the transition, playing a key role in helping move the restaurant and supporting the family through the big change.

Few can say they’ve been part of Monmouth County’s dining scene for as long as Williamson and Fratelli’s. For her, it’s more than just a business — it’s a legacy. “It’s a privilege and an honor,” she says. “There are so many memories tied to this place. Being part of a family-run restaurant means everything to me.” When asked if she thinks Fratelli’s has become a local staple, she smiles and says she hopes so. After all these years, there’s still nothing she would rather do than serve the Middletown community — and beyond — with the perfect bite. 

The perfect bite at Fratelli’s is achieved in the simplest way: tradition. The menu items are all family recipes, have always been, and will always be.

“We prepare all our dishes in-house. We make our own sausage and meatballs, and we do our meat butchering; those traditions are all still the same. Nothing’s changed, and none of that will change.”

Williamson takes pride in keeping those traditions alive, especially in Monmouth County. Being in business for so long still amazes her.

“In good times and in bad, we’ve managed to stay open and stay rooted in the town we love,” she says. “My children went to school in Middletown. They were raised here in the pizzeria.”

The Fratelli family includes every customer and employee who walks through the door, not just her kids and parents. “I love the people,” she says. “Our customers become our friends, our family. I know them all by name. They know me, and they know the family’s history. This is their town too.”

That deep connection to the community is what drives Williamson to shop local, support others, and keep Fratelli’s grounded in its roots. For her, it’s never a challenge — after all, there’s everything she needs right here in Monmouth County. 

The plan, of course, is to keep Fratelli’s in the family. Williamson has two children with her husband, Mark and Danielle, and she’s excited for her son to one day take the reins — just as she did from her parents — making Fratelli’s a third-generation business.

“I can’t wait to see what he’ll do with it,” she says. “He just finished with his culinary degree, and he’s getting his business degree. He’s always learning and strengthening his skills; there’s always something new in the culinary world.”

She shares that recently, Mark was experimenting with a new appetizer dish for the weekend menu. “He’s always thinking ahead, trying new things.” For Michele, it’s all about blending the old with the new — combining tradition with fresh ideas to make Fratelli’s the best it can be.

As she looks ahead to the rest of 2025, Williamson says she’s focused on good health, happiness, and continuing to build strong connections with her customers. “I love that we really know our customers and they know us,” she says. “We ask each other about our families: ‘How’s Mom? How are the kids?’ That’s meaningful to me.” For her, it’s not just about picking up a pizza — it’s about being part of someone’s life story.

“Community means everything. We’ve been part of so many special moments in our customers’ lives.” 

Now celebrating its 42nd year, Fratelli’s shows no signs of slowing down. In a community where loyalty runs deep, Michele Williamson doesn’t plan to go anywhere.

“I love our customers,” she says with a smile, “and I love our town.”

To learn more about Fratelli’s, visit fratellispizzeriamiddletown.com