Peter and MaryAnn’s uncle, Edward Carbone, opened what was then The Good Fellows Club in 1933, according to the restaurant’s website. The name was later changed to Carbone’s Restaurant.
HOPKINTON — After running the family business for more than 40 years, brother and sister Peter Carbone and MaryAnn Lorentzen are calling it quits.
Carbone’s Restaurant, which at 280 Cedar St. (Rte. 85) is just a stone’s throw from the Southborough line, will be closing its doors in the next four to six weeks, according to Carbone.
“It is with very mixed emotion and great reluctance that the Carbone family announces the closing, or hopefully, the potential sale of our family run restaurant after 87 years in business,” Carbone wrote in a letter to customers last weekend.
Carbone said he and his sister decided they wanted to retire. Lorentzen doesn’t have children and Carbone said his were not interested in running the business.
“Our ages played a big role in it,” Carbone said in an interview with the Daily News, although he declined to divulge his or his sister’s age. “It’s something we’ve thought about for awhile.”
He said the coronavirus pandemic did not play a big role in the decision.
The restaurant has been in the family for three generations. Peter and MaryAnn’s uncle, Edward Carbone, opened what was then The Good Fellows Club in 1933, according to the restaurant’s website. The name was later changed to Carbone’s Restaurant.
Serving an offering of classic Italian dishes, the restaurant has become a staple in town over the years.
Five years ago, a three-alarm fire ripped through a portion of the restaurant, the cause of which went undetermined. The restaurant reopened after a few weeks.
Carbone said patrons were sad but understanding when he told them the news the restaurant would be closing.
It was tough news for many customers to swallow since many of the restaurant’s most loyal customers have been coming to the restaurant for decades, he said.
“A lot of these customers came here as kids and they may be now bringing their grandchildren. I hear stories all the time,” he said. “Someone told me just last night, he’s been married since 1974 and he took his wife here on his second date.”
Cindy Drisko, a regular customer who has been eating at the restaurant since she was 2 years old, said she cried when she heard the news.
“I feel like I’m at home when I come here for dinner,” she said.
Drisko, now 69, said she comes to the restaurant every week. She had her wedding rehearsal there and last year she celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary at the restaurant.
“She’s just a special place for us,” she said. “It’s really going to be sad to see it go.”
Like Drisko, Arlene Cardwell dines at the restaurant every week.
The 83-year old said she understands why they are closing because they’ve been in business so long.
“It’s time,” she said. “They are ready.”
In the letter, Carbone said he thought of his customers as members of his family.
“This restaurant has been our life and the lives of two generations of family that preceded us. It has been an incredible run that regretfully will end soon,” he wrote. “Let’s just say it is time for us to begin a new chapter in our lives. We can never thank everybody enough for your loyalty and support over the years, and for being a part of this journey with us.”
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Carbone said there has been some interest in bringing new management to maintain the restaurant. He noted, however, that idea is still in its infancy.
Cesareo Contreras be reached at 508-626-3957 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @cesareo_r.
