Local Entrepreneur Wins County Public Service Award

It wasn’t enough that his network of Italian restaurants was successful. Fouad Qreitem wanted his company, , to do it the right way and give back to his customers as much as they had given to him.

To that end, Qreitem sponsored a food drive and his delivery drivers picked up bags of food from grateful customers after they dropped off their pizzas. Working with Food for Others, the drivers collected about 4,500 pounds of donated food to go to the needy. He is also active in the Police Unity Tour, a fund which assists families who have had an officer killed in the line of duty.

For his work in the community, Qreitem will be recognized on April 14 with a Fairfax County Community Champions award. Each year the district supervisor selects a local resident who is doing something special for the community for recognition by the board of supervisors and Volunteer Fairfax, a group that encourages local community service.

For all the accolades and success of his chain of restaurants, things were not always this rosy, said Qreitem, 37, a Fairfax County native who graduated from Lake Braddock High School — where he played two years as nose tackle on the football team. After years of working with his father in the restaurant business, Qreitem and his sister launched out on their own with the first Paisano’s restaurant in 1997. It was in a modest Fair Lakes shopping center across from a gas station and a McDonalds.

The odds weren’t in their favor: 90 percent of new restaurants fail in their first five years and the two had leveraged all of their resources on this venture.

“Yeah we were nervous. It was do or die — failure wasn’t an option,” he said. “But from almost day one, the restaurant was a big hit.”

From that humble beginning — Qreitem and his sister worked seven days a week — the business has blossomed into a six-restaurant chain with a seventh to open in Tyson’s next week. They will also branch out to franchise some restaurants and plan to expand in Maryland and the District of Columbia, he said.

Quality food at competitive prices, good service and a welcoming atmosphere are part of Paisano’s formula for success, he said. He believes that his restaurants can help build a sense of community that is both welcoming and inclusive.

“We understand that these people, the people who give us money every day,” Qreitem said, “are also the ones who may need some help someday. We also believe that we have the greatest customers in the world.”