by Michael Klein

Six days a week, Ralph Dispigno Jr. drives the 35 minutes from his home in Delaware County to work in South Philadelphia at Ralph's Italian Restaurant. This would be unremarkable if he were not 87 years old.

If Ralph's is the oldest family-owned Italian restaurant in the United States, Ralph Dispigno may be among the oldest full-time restaurateurs. In 1900, seven years after coming to America, his grandfather Francesco opened the restaurant 2½ blocks away, naming it after his son, who was born Rafael. In 1915, Ralph's moved to its current location, in a narrow brick rowhouse at 760 S. Ninth St.

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Source: http://www.philly.com/