Years of road projects contributed to restaurant closure, Carmel Bellacino’s owner says

0

By Heather Collins

After 16 years of business at North Meridian Street in Carmel, Bellacino’s Pizza and Grinders closed  Nov. 17. The pizza and sub shop struggled to retain customers in an area that saw several major road construction projects in recent years, according to owner Dave White.

The restaurant was affected by the construction at Illinois Street in 2013, followed by construction on the bridge at West Carmel Drive in 2014. White said the restaurant’s best year for business was 2013. He sales plummeted  48 percent because of the West Carmel Drive bridge project. When construction was complete, White said sales only rose by 10 percent.

White’s lease on the building ended Nov. 17, and he decided to close the restaurant. He said his family had been working jobs outside of the restaurant to help financially. White returned to a previous profession, selling point-of-sale equipment for restaurant. He plans to keep doing it now that Bellacino’s is closed.

“We appreciate all of our customers,” White said. “We’ve have had generations of employees working for us, and it has been a wonderful journey.”

White built the restaurant into a family franchise. All three of his children and his wife have worked at the restaurant. White’s son, Patrick, was co-owner.

“You could have a day where it was all of my kids and my wife and I, even my nephews and nieces,” White said. “The whole part of the family would be working. It’s been a labor of love. We had a great opportunity to work together.”


Current Morning Briefing Logo

Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Share.

Current Morning Briefing Logo

Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact