Tostimo's Pizza Kitchen expanding to Portsmouth as Hap's Roast Beef exits
Tostimo’s Pizza Kitchen will open in Portsmouth this summer after Hap’s permanently closes its doors in late July. The roast beef business announced in May it would soon close as its owners, Tyler Isabelle and Amanda Long, begin to raise their newborn child and launch a sauce and spice line under the business’ brand in stores across New England.
PORTSMOUTH — A Seabrook pizzeria and sandwich shop will soon be handed the keys to the space leased by Hap’s Roast Beef as it expands into Portsmouth.
Tostimo’s Pizza Kitchen will open in Portsmouth this summer after Hap’s permanently closes its doors in late July. The roast beef business announced in May it would soon close as its owners, Tyler Isabelle and Amanda Long, begin to raise their newborn child and launch a sauce and spice line under the business’ brand in stores across New England.
Arielle and Jon Moore, a married couple and owners of Tostimo’s, are eager to bring their dishes to Portsmouth.
The Hampstead couple have kept busy in the last year, taking over Tostimo’s from its founder last August after just having their second child. Ten months after entering the world of restaurant ownership, the Moores have hit the ground running preparing to bring their recipes to Portsmouth.
Hap's owners found perfect couple to take over
“Our values really align,” Arielle Moore said of her family’s business and Hap’s. “We both really care about the community and we really care about the food we’re making. It’s not just a transaction for us. We love the Portsmouth area.”
Jon Moore has been cooking since childhood, joining his grandmother in the kitchen on a step stool to help put on Sunday dinners for their Italian family. Moore’s entire professional life has been spent in the kitchen after his graduation from Johnson & Wales University’s culinary program.
Taking over Tostimo’s last summer was his first foray into restaurant ownership.
“Tostimo’s isn’t your typical house of pizza,” he said in a prepared statement. “Our menu is built around real food — hand-breaded chicken made to order, house-brined wings, hand-battered onion rings, Grandma’s meatball recipe, and slow-roasted roast beef prepared in-house daily. It’s all made with care, not corners.”
In Portsmouth, Tostimo’s will offer its pizza, sandwich, calzone, salad and rice bowl creations. The Moores will also sell canned and bottled beers, ciders and alcoholic seltzers.
Without their slate of roast beef sandwiches, however, the Moores may not have been able to expand their business so soon after taking over in Seabrook.
Though set on taking their business’ name with them, Isabelle and Long worked to find a proper steward for their 2222 Lafayette Road location. Knowing they wouldn’t be re-signing their lease, the engaged couple set out to find a fit for the building’s next eatery.
Roast beef sandwiches key part of deal
Part of Isabelle’s mission? To find new owners that can also prepare a delicious roast beef sandwich. In his search, he reached out to the operator of a North Shore-area Facebook group dedicated solely to ranking regional roast beef sandwiches.
Tostimo’s came up in that conversation, recalled Isabelle, whose family owns the New Hampshire-based Red Arrow Diner locations. Isabelle knew of the Moores through the local industry grapevine.
“I always admired their work,” he said.
The two couples’ stories are similar as growing families working in the local hospitality scene. Add on the fact Tostimo’s serves roast beef sandwiches, and Isabelle and Long knew the Moores were the right candidates.
Isabelle contacted the Moores about touring the Hap’s space, according to Arielle Moore. Soon after, they had an agreement.
“Once we talked to him and went and saw the space, it just felt like a very natural transition,” said Arielle Moore.
“They’re cool. They’re creative. They’re fun,” Isabelle said.
Haps will permanently close July 26, according to Isabelle, while the Moores hope to open Tostimo’s shortly afterward in early August.
Isabelle and Long took over Hap’s in January 2023. They aim to begin selling their Hap’s sauces and spice blends in September.
Beyond that, Isabelle is keeping a “never say never” approach to the possibility that Hap’s could reopen in a different format.
“There might be possibilities in the future for maybe bringing back Hap’s or doing it in trucks across New England, but that’s yet to be determined,” he said. “We’re not getting rid of Hap’s.”
The Moores will give their new Portsmouth home some interior touch-ups and bring in a pizza oven. The couple anticipate a quick turnaround for their opening after Hap’s shuts down.
“We’ve always wanted to grow. It’s always been part of our plan,” Arielle Moore said.
Tostimo’s will be open daily in Portsmouth from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. upon opening. Hap’s will remain open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. until its closure.