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Nick Pedretti
Owner
latif’s by pedretti
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Nick Pedretti, grandson of Ezio “Atch” Pedretti, the famed Turlock High coach and namesake of the city’s Pedretti Park, took over ownership of Latif’s Restaurant early November, 2019. Now called Latif’s by Pedretti, the diner on Golden State Boulevard will remain a vintage oasis with a few modern touches.
Pedretti, who for the past eight years served as General Manager for Dust Bowl Brewing Company’s downtown taproom, decided to strike out on his own with the Latif’s purchase. First opened by founder and namesake Charles Latif in 1953, Latif’s has served Turlock for more than six decades.
Then in 1971, Latif sold to Jim Stevens, who helped make its pies famous in the region. His son, Robert Stevens, took over the family’s ownership in the early 2000s.
In 1988, then-presidential candidate George H. W. Bush and wife Barbara Bush visited Latif’s during a campaign trip to the Central Valley and sat at one of its horseshoe-shaped counters. Plaques still hang proudly on the backs of their stools that read: “President George H. W. Bush sat here 10-15-88” and “First Lady Barbara Bush sat here 10-15-88.” The wall by the cash register also has pictures of that historic day, and other famous faces to have stopped by the restaurant.
Latif’s opened in its current building, striking for its untouched mid-century design, in 1960. Both the spot’s vintage look and everyone-knows-your-name feel is something Pedretti said he is serious about preserving.
“This place has been around forever, and I used to come here when I was a little kid,” he said. “We just want to remind people that (Latif’s) is still here and we’re not going anywhere.”