One article in the Globe reported that Bertucci’s plans to operate the two chains separately. I gathered that they see Vinny T’s as being slightly more upscale, more of a dining destination, than Bertucci’s.

I don’t think there’s any connection to football. Vinny Testa’s started with one location in Brookline (that I know of) in the early 90s serving big portions of good-quality red sauce Italian. Kind of place where one salad, one pasta and an entree was dinner, next day’s lunch, and a snack for a couple. Probably for that reason we haven’t been back, but it was quite good at the time.

At some point they re-branded as Vinny T’s of Boston. Maybe to avoid confusion with a football star, or maybe to emphasize its regional roots as it expanded? Parent company of Buca di Beppo bought it at some point and is now shedding it to reduce debt.