Fresh Face: The Rendezvous Pizzeria & Steak Shop

With a name meaning “gathering place” in French, The Rendezvous—in its original form—was an institution in Lancaster City for nearly 70 years. Founded by the Gaspari brothers, it brought the Philly cheesesteak west to King Street and opened its doors to residents and visitors alike with a laidback atmosphere and classic recipes. When Roger Gaspari retired in 2019, it was truly the end of an era—or so he thought.

Two years later, when the timing was right, Ed Kaminski brought an adolescent dream of taking over the family business from his Uncle Roger to life and set out to reopen a new iteration of The Rendezvous right next door to the restaurant’s original location. With his son Riley—a rising talent in the culinary industry—at the forefront of these plans and his daughter Zoe coming along to oversee the business financials, The Rendezvous officially opened at 243 West King Street in December 2023, bringing back the original cheesesteak recipe along with other traditional favorites and a new robust menu of Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas inspired by Riley’s culinary training in Florence, Italy.

“This is still a small family business but under the next generation,” Zoe shared. “Riley brings new energy to the kitchen, and we’re excited to combine our family’s story with our love of food and this community.”

Patrons to The Rendezvous will be delighted by the elevated ingredients sourced from Mandros and other local vendors in the BYOB fast-casual, open kitchen space, and find that the welcoming atmosphere of this gathering place remains.

“My passion beyond serving people is helping them be in touch with where their food comes from, so I’m proud of the way we have sourced our ingredients and designed our menu,” Riley said.

With spring specials debuting soon, the Kaminskis invite you to stop in, ask questions to the chef and his team, and enjoy the memories that will be created at The Rendezvous once again.