When selecting a name for his new restaurant, Toni Dedaj came up with a simple, yet fitting one.
Not only is it “easy to say,” he said, but in Albania, Oda is a gathering room used to welcome guests.
And that’s exactly how the Balkans native views his new endeavor.
“Customer service is very important to us,” Dedaj said. “We are like a family. We welcome everyone.”
Welcome to Oda Pizzeria Bistro, where Dedaj can regularly be found greeting customers and helping out in the kitchen.
A few doors down from House of Omelets
Located on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, it opened in January, taking over the spot previously occupied by Dante’s Coal Fired Pizza. It’s been redone with lots of stone and wood in the modern space.
And it’s in the Bonefish Grill-anchored plaza which is where one of Dedaj’s other restaurants — House of Omelets — just so happens to be.
“My wife always wanted to open something like this,” Dedaj said, referring to Oda. “I didn’t want to so much. It’s a lot of work. But when this came up, I said I’d take it.”