Zinna’s Bistro & Food Trucks: From One Family Bistro to a Fleet on Wheels
What began as a family-owned Italian-American bistro in 2010 has grown into something much bigger. Today, Zinna’s combines its Cranbury restaurant with catering, events, six food trucks and a fully equipped grill trailer, all while holding onto a simple idea: when you eat with them, you should feel like part of the family.
There are restaurants that grow by opening location after location.
Zinna’s took a different route.
The story began in January 2010 with Zinna’s Bistro, a family-owned and operated Italian-American restaurant in Cranbury, New Jersey.
Sixteen years later, the original restaurant is still at the heart of the business.
But these days, Zinna’s doesn’t always wait for customers to come to them.
Sometimes, the kitchen comes to the customer.
A Family Bistro
Zinna’s describes its philosophy simply: good food should be made with fresh, high-quality ingredients and should carry some of the comfort of something homemade.
That idea is reflected throughout the restaurant.
Italian-American cooking sits at the center of the menu, with homemade pasta and other familiar dishes served in a relaxed setting designed for families, celebrations and everyday meals.
The restaurant even grows some of its own produce in an on-site garden.
And behind the kitchen is Executive Chef Chris Zinna, whose connection to cooking apparently began long before there was a restaurant carrying the family name.
Chris has spoken about developing a passion for food as a child, helping his grandmother prepare Sunday dinner.
It’s exactly the kind of beginning we’d love to hear more about.
A New Home in 2020
Ten years after opening, Zinna’s entered another chapter.
In January 2020, the restaurant moved to its current home at 10 Cedarbrook Drive in Cranbury.
It was a significant move for a business that had already spent a decade building a local following.
But the restaurant was only one part of what the family was building.
Catering and events were becoming increasingly important too.
And eventually, Zinna’s found a way to take the restaurant experience directly to weddings, parties, corporate events and celebrations across the area.
Zinna’s Hits the Road
Today, Zinna’s operates six food trucks and a fully equipped grill trailer.
That’s a remarkable expansion from one family bistro.
Instead of catering meaning trays of food arriving from a restaurant kitchen, the food truck operation allows Zinna’s to bring much more of the experience directly to an event.
Weddings. Birthdays. Graduations. Family reunions. Corporate events. Rehearsal dinners. Retirement parties. Barbecues. Showers.
The restaurant business has effectively grown into a broader hospitality company, now represented under Biztro Hospitality, bringing together Zinna’s Bistro, Zinna’s Food Trucks and EventZ & Catering.
More Than One Way to Serve a Customer
What makes the Zinna’s story interesting is that each new part of the business still connects back to hospitality.
A couple might first encounter Zinna’s over dinner at the bistro.
Later, the family could cater their wedding.
A food truck might appear at a company event.
Another family might book Zinna’s for a graduation or reunion.
The setting changes, but the underlying job remains remarkably similar.
Feed people well and make them feel looked after.
Zinna’s own philosophy says every guest should feel like part of the family.
For a business that began around the idea of family cooking, that’s a particularly fitting thread to carry through its growth.
From Sunday Dinner to Six Food Trucks
There’s a wonderful outline to the Zinna’s story already.
A young Chris helping his grandmother with Sunday dinner.
A family restaurant opening in 2010.
A move to a new home ten years later.
An expanding catering operation.
And eventually, a fleet of food trucks taking Zinna’s beyond the walls of the bistro.
But the most interesting parts are the pieces we can’t find on a website.
What did Chris learn in his grandmother’s kitchen?
Who took the risk with him when Zinna’s first opened?
What were those early years really like?
When did the first food truck arrive, and did anyone imagine there would eventually be six of them?
And what does it feel like to look at the operation today and compare it with the family business that opened its doors in 2010?
Those are the stories we’d love the Zinna family to tell.
Because somewhere between Grandma’s Sunday dinner and a fleet of kitchens on wheels is the real story of how Zinna’s grew.
LOCAL LEGENDS AMERICA
Business: Zinna’s Bistro / Zinna’s Food Trucks
Location: 10 Cedarbrook Drive, Cranbury, New Jersey
Established: January 2010
Ownership: Family-owned and operated
Executive Chef: Chris Zinna
Style: Italian-American bistro, catering and mobile food service
Known For: Homemade Italian-American food, homemade pasta, fresh ingredients, catering and events
Mobile Operation: Six food trucks and fully equipped grill trailer
Hospitality Group: Biztro Hospitality
