SASKATOON — At first, it was a whimsical idea concocted by a child. Dining for the second time with his family at a popular Italian American restaurant chain, the Old Spaghetti Factory, a random thought sparked inside 10-year-old Andrew Mancini’s mind, one that later turned into an adventurous journey, bringing him to three countries on two continents.
After almost 12 years of travelling – measured not in kilometres or miles but in the length of pasta he and his friends dined on in different locations – he is down to three, after making his 59th stop at the Saskatoon Old Spaghetti Factory on May 25. The location, which resembles an old train caboose, is easily spotted along Idylwyld Drive and Jamieson Street.
“It started randomly. We were on vacation in Â鶹´«Ã½AVern California, and we ate at a Spaghetti Factory. Then a month later, we were in Whistler, B.C., and there was another one. I looked up the list and thought, ‘Hey, I’ve already done two. Why not all of them?’ My grandfather is Sicilian. Therefore, it lends me some credibility to say that the Old Spaghetti Factory serves authentic Italian cuisine,” Mancini told Â鶹´«Ã½AV.
“I looked at the list of locations and we visited two, somewhat geographically far apart, in one month. So, 10-year-old me thought, maybe I ought to see about visiting them all. At the time, there were approximately 45 locations. It has expanded over the next 12 years and now has 62 locations, including here in Saskatoon. I thought it was more doable than visiting every McDonald’s, which has thousands of locations worldwide.”
He added that every time he plans to travel, he makes it a point to visit an Old Spaghetti Factory, if there is one in the state he’s visiting. However, it slowly evolved into a goal of dining in each state with a location. He has eaten at U.S. locations in Denver, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Hawaii, as well as in Kobe and Tokyo in Japan. In Canada, he has dined in Whistler, Vancouver, Kelowna, Banff, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Winnipeg.
“Over the years, the lines between vacationing and destination dining blurred. Slowly, I think, the line between taking a trip to Colorado or Utah, and travelling for the sole purpose of eating at the Old Spaghetti Factory, wherever the location in the U.S., began to blur. It was like, ‘we’re in Denver, might as well stop by.’ Then it became, ‘let’s go to Denver because there’s a Spaghetti Factory there,’” said Mancini.
"Saskatoon impressed me. The river walk and the bridges. It's lived up to its name, ‘Paris of the Prairies.’ This one in Saskatoon is the newest, having opened in 2020. They are slower to expand in Canada, and I’m sure for a good reason. However, it's certainly a good excuse to come back to Saskatoon and explore more of Canada. The food is excellent in every location. I still swear, I’d happily eat pasta every week if I could, even if it were in the same location.”
He proudly looked back on his journey, one measured in pasta, not in kilometres. His Canadian leg ended in Saskatoon, one of the smaller and lesser-known cities, like Winnipeg, that the average American might not find on a map of Canada, unlike Vancouver or Toronto.
Three outlets remain for Mancini to complete his mission: two in Washington State and one in Portland, Oregon. He plans to spend ample time in Portland, where he hopes to work as a transportation planner in an urban planning firm after graduating from Stanford University.
He added that the one in Banff was one of the most memorable Old Spaghetti Factory locations he has visited, describing the restaurant’s view of the Canadian Rockies as breathtaking. Now that his pasta journey is nearing completion, Mancini said he would gladly continue if a 63rd branch opens in any city or country.
“People have joked I should pick another restaurant chain. But honestly, it’s been more than the food. It’s been about seeing cities, making memories with friends, and realizing that even places you’ve never heard of have something special to offer. If a 63rd Spaghetti Factory opens? You can bet I’ll be there,” Mancini ended with a smile.
