South Windsor Restaurant To Close After 44 Years

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Lena's Restaurant & Bar will close Saturday after more than four decades in South Windsor, the restaurant announced.

The restaurant at 655 John Fitch Boulevard said Sept. 26 will be its final day of service. Management attributed the decision to continued difficulty staffing the kitchen.

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"Despite our continued efforts, ongoing kitchen staffing challenges have made it increasingly difficult to sustain our restaurant operations at the standards we expect," management said in an announcement posted on the restaurant's website.

Management said it made the decision after careful consideration and thanked Lena's customers and employees for their support.

The announcement noted that Lena's has been part of South Windsor since 1982 and has served multiple generations of customers.

The restaurant's roots date to 1982, when Pasquilina "Lena" Lonero and Giuseppe "Joe" Lonero purchased Pizzarama, a pizza and grinder shop. Their children, Lena and Sal, worked alongside them as the family expanded the menu with Italian entrees and traditional family recipes, according to the restaurant's official history.

As the customer base grew, the family remodeled the restaurant and added a banquet facility. The business became Lena's Restaurant and Pizza in 1992, taking its name from Lena Lonero, who was known as "Mama Lena."

The restaurant later passed to former customers who sought to preserve its menu and longtime atmosphere, according to its website.

Lena's is known for Italian staples including chicken parmigiana, eggplant fries, calamari, pasta and specialty pizzas.

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