Bala Cynwyd's La Collina Gets Support From Barstool Sports Fund

BALA CYNWYD, PA — Restaurants have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent mitigation efforts that forced closures and banned indoor dining in Pennsylvania.

But a popular sports blog is stepping in and asking its fans to support restaurants that are struggling during an unprecedented time.

Barstool Sports and its founder Dave Portnoy recently launched The Barstool Fund.

And one of the restaurants that got a boost was Bala Cynwyd's La Collina.

La Collina — a 35-year staple in the Philadelphia region — is run by Enzo Valent and his son Dario Valent.

The pair recently video chatted with Portnoy, who is famous for his pizza reviews, during which Portnoy told Dario Valent they will be getting support from The Barstool Fund.

Watch the call below:

"It was shock, which still hasn't worn off," Dario Valent told Patch.

La Collina was "floating through" the early months of the pandemic, and before the pandemic hit La Collina was in an upswing from steady business through the preceding months.

in a situation thats out of our control. we were in an upswing and it came crashing down.

But Valent said come November when cases were rising fewer people were patronizing the business.

"We can't rely on take out and don't have the space for outdoor dining," he said.

But thanks to Bartsool and Portnoy, La Collina is able to provide for its staffers for now.

Valent didn't provide the amount La Collina recieved from the fund, but said they asked for a number to make sure their payroll was taken care of.

"The final amount is still not finalized," he said, "but even if we don't get all of it, we can keep our staff surviving."

And taking care of staff is paramount to the long-running business.

Valent said one staffer has been with La Collina for more than 30 years and a few others have been with La Collina more than 20 years.

"People generally stay with us for a while," he said. "That means we are able to provide for them, and we look out for each other. Our staff is really most important to us."

With the fund's support, Valent said his father is able to sleep a bit better.

"We are hopeful for the future and our main goal is to get off of this fund," Valent said. "The next months are usually slow and with no outdoor dining, it's looking bleak. We are hoping we won't need this money for too long."

Valent said the day La Collina no longer needs the funds that will be their best day.

"That means we're on our way back."

With Pennsylvania's indoor dining ban lifted Monday, Valent said La Collina is welcoming customers back into the dining room.

"Tonight looks good," he said of Tuesday, "and the weekend is looking promising."

Which makes sense given La Collina's dedicated and consistent clientele.

"We have a lot of customers that have had birthdays, rehearsal dinners, and work parties here," he said. "Some people don't even look at the menu."

While La Collina expects to welcome back longtime customers, Valent hopes the buzz around the Barstool fund will expose them to new diners.

"WE can't thank Barstool enough for this," he said.

Anyone who wants to support the restaurant should patronize the business rather than make donations to them, Valent said. "Get take out or come in when you're comfortable."

He also encouraged other to donate to Bartsool's fund to support other businesses in need during the pandemic.

Anyone who wishes to support the numerous businesses that have been chosen for the fund can go online here to make contributions. Contributions are tax deductible.

You can also purchase merchandise online here with 100 percent of proceeds supporting the fund.

Small businesses in need of support can submit applications for the fund online here.