Rhode Island's Famous Olneyville N.Y. System Restaurants Sold

A revered Rhode Island eatery that counts celebrities like Guy Fieri, Alton Brown and Rob Gronkowski among its most ardent fans is changing hands.

Olneyville N.Y. System, which prides itself on serving “R.I.’s Best Hot Wieners” for nearly 80 years, is being acquired by Heritage Restaurant Group. Heritage will take over Olneyville’s two locations, one in Providence and one in Cranston.

Heritage Restaurant Group runs seven other restaurants as well as four food trucks, so it has the credentials to be able to keep Olneyville N.Y. System going for years to come.

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According to a release, the sale agreement includes the provision that fourth-generation Olneyville owners Greg Stevens and Stephanie Stevens Turini “will stay on board to ensure a seamless transition with the Heritage team,” and that “new ownership intends to retain all of Olneyville’s devoted employees and culinary offerings that Rhode Islanders have come to love.”

Some of those employees spend their entire lives working there. In 2022, Olneyville N.Y. System mourned the loss of Jimmy Sacoccio, who had worked there for 50 years.

Until now, Olneyville has only been owned and operated by members of the Stevens family, serving up hot wieners “all the way” along with coffee milk, burgers, sandwiches and other comfort foods.

The restaurant is also a late-night go-to for many Rhode Islanders, open until 2 a.m. most nights and 3 a.m. on the weekends.

Personally, any trip to Rhode Island was an excuse to stop by Olneyville and grab a couple of hot wieners and a coffee milk (served in a styrofoam cup, of course). I always got them “all the way,” and especially looked forward to that famous wiener sauce with Olneyville N.Y. System’s signature spice blend.

It’s so beloved that when the restaurant recently replaced its aging neon signage, it was all auctioned off to raise about $20,000 for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

The restaurant was also used for filming of scenes for the upcoming film Death Comes Calling, starring Federico Castelluccio, best known for his role as Furio on The Sopranos.