Draganetti’s Owners to Open New Restaurant at River Prairie

As seen on WEAU and in the Leader-Telegram and Volume One:

Altoona – The owners of Draganetti’s Ristorante and Taverna Grill are going back to their roots as they open a new restaurant off of River Prairie Drive in Altoona: Za51.

Za51 will specialize in the homemade pizza, or “’za” that helped their parents, Kas and Clara Draganowski get their start in Wisconsin in 1951 when they opened the Enchanted Inn supper club in Barnes.

 “We don’t just talk tradition, we are tradition,” co-owner Claudia Draganowski says.

The new restaurant will be owned and operated by three of the Draganowski children, Joanne (Palzkill), Claudia and John, who currently own Draganetti’s and Taverna Grill. With their family rooted deep in the restaurant industry, the Draganowski’s will continue to do what they do best: serve real Italian food from a real Italian family. This new venture will be a Trattoria-style restaurant featuring pizzas, sandwiches, pasta and gelato.

“Our hope is that Za51 will be our way to bring all that we’ve learned over the years together thanks to the sacrifices and struggles that our parents initially made beginning in 1951,” co-owner Joanne Palkill says.

The Draganowski children have continuously followed in their parents’ footsteps over the years. Kas and Clara opened Drag’s Restaurant and Roman Lounge in Rice Lake in 1961, which was handed over to their sons Kenn and Jerry. Kenn has since retired, but Jerry’s son Jim bought his share. Jerry, his wife Colleen and Jim continue to own and operate the restaurant.

Joanne, Claudia, and John have continued to own and operate the Enchanted Inn seasonally, and they opened Draganetti’s in 1981. The name “Draganetti’s” is a combination of their parents’ last names, Draganowski and Micaletti, and they have continued to use traditional family recipes to build the menu.

The Draganetti’s brand expanded when they opened Taverna Grill in 2009. Taverna offers the same quality as its sister upscale restaurant, but with a more casual menu and atmosphere.

“We have been blessed to be able to make a living in the restaurant industry and thrilled that we have been able to serve so many generations of customers over the years,” said Palzkill. 

Za51 is scheduled to open later this year.