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Sunday, December 06, 2015

Another Local Restaurant to Close - Vinny's


Longtime Local Restaurant to Close!

Vinny's La Roma, a restaurant staple in Salisbury for nearly four decades, plans to close on December 31:

"It is with a heavy yet happy heart that I announce my coming retirement and that La Roma will be closing at the end of the year. We have had a great run, and we appreciate the hard work and dedication of those who have made it possible all these years."

Vinny, you will be missed!

Why is it that Berlin and Cambridge thrive with locally owned restaurants, and Salisbury can't?!

76 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sad & sorry to hear this news.

Anonymous said...

did you read the word "retire" ?

Anonymous said...

cambridge? most of the places here i wouldn't let my dog eat at.

Anonymous said...

Well, Vinny's moron son Joe has a lot to do with it. Vinny tried for years to get him to learn the business, learn to cook, etc etc. Joe would rather go out and act like a 20-something drinking with his buddies and hitting on girls that weren't at home taking care of his kids, than a guy on the other side of 40.

Vinny gave him plenty of chances, too.

Anonymous said...

He's retiring, not going broke.

Unions are so 1940s said...

The release said he was retiring. In my view I wouldn't include this closing in your list of "failures".

worker said...

The real story is vinny got too many DWIs and his son milked the Restaurant dry.

Anonymous said...

also boulevard motors looks to be closed as well..Rt.13 is basically being abandoned

Anonymous said...

The guy is just retiring.... no story here its called life

Anonymous said...

no local restaurants here? How about: Mediterranean Grill, Reggae Soul Cafe, Cactus Taverna, Market Street, Backstreet Grill, Ikebana, Hunan Palace, Thai Rada, Fratellis, etc.

Anonymous said...

I stopped to eat there one Sunday and arrived before it was open. There was a handwritten Note on the door imploring Vinny to pay his bills because he owed so much money. That's a fact.

Anonymous said...

"Why is it that Berlin and Cambridge thrive with locally owned restaurants, and Salisbury can't?!"

The list of "CHAIN" restaurants in Cambridge and Berlin are small. Other than fast food I cant really think of 1 place in Cambridge that is corporate owned. Berlin is very similar and they have to compete with OC for business.

Stop cheering every time a cracker barrel opens. We all saw this happen over the last 30 years with big box stored. If you have the means stop shopping at walmart, lowes, homedepot etc. Buy as much food as you can directly from the farmers. Yes, its hard to do that in the winter but for 3 season out of the year most farmers have stands. Find a grower if beef or eggs. Find a farmers market. However the hardest part will be getting people to STOP wasting their money on cheap foreign made crap. Buy American every chance you get.

It wont be easy but by making smart decisions we can bring back our community. Start with one small choice a day. Buy lunch at any of the locally owend restaurants. Pick up the beef and vegetables for dinner from a famers market.

Look at you life, how much time do we waste on things that simply make no change to our life? Get off your butts and take that time back. We were not meant to sit at a desk for 8 hours and then sit on the couch for another 6.

People have lost sight of what made this country great. It was people carring about other people. It was a sense of community. Get out and get involved. Meet your neighbors. Talk to them. Invite them to dinner. Start rebuilding this community.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I'll re-phrase. Decent restaurants.

Anonymous said...

Mediterranean Grill? Where would that one be?

Anonymous said...

Between the expansion of the immigrant ghettos and the immature students, much of the central area of Salisbury is gone.
Don't expect any improvement till a government is elected that will deal with the issues.

Anonymous said...

Boulevard Motors is selling their property along with the restaurant next door to CARMAX, a Nationwide Used Car Dealership. Look out "The Car Store", competition coming!

Anonymous said...

We have three local bakeries in town. I purchase from them not Wal-Mart where product is baked in Arkansas and frozen. Buy LOCAL

Get your auto repaired by a local garage....etc etc...

Anonymous said...

I think 40 years in business is a pretty good run, especially for a restaurant...

Anonymous said...

Ok by his own admission he had great run and is now retiring. A story is there. The turning of a page in the history of Salisbury. The economy forced Vinny to decrease the size of his portions while balancing any price increases with the ability of his customers to pay in order to stay in the black. But the story moving forward will be.......who takes over the building? Will the new owners be able to make it work? Will it just be another building that houses a business venture for a year or less and closes time and time again? Time will tell.

Anonymous said...

Have none of you been to sushi de kanpai? Been there for 9 years. Best sushi and Japanese food in maryland

Anonymous said...

8:22-I had an alcoholic uncle who went to Cambridge.

JoeAlbero said...

Well, I tip my hat to Vinny. 40 years is admirable, ESPECIALLY surviving so long in Salisbury. Not many can come back here and say they know a lot of places who made it anywhere close to that.

Unfortunately, here's another empty space, (for the time being) just like the old Break Time Billiards. Will this, (Vinny's) location become yet another PRMC or SU owned property?

I feel for Jake Day, seriously. He's got an uphill battle like there's no tomorrow. When a staple business like this simply closes their doors, past experience shows someone young will pop in there and make a run at trying to make another bar/restaurant work. As if Salisbury doesn't have enough of that.

I look at MoJo's, Roadies, Market Street Inn and others who are trying their very best to survive while other new places try to barge into that same neighborhood. You know there's going to be a restaurant/bar going into the old Feldman's building. More then likely they'll be one or two going into the new 2 hour parking lot area when and if that ever gets built.

I'm all for progress but the Liquor Board and the City/County really need to put their heads together and decide when enough is enough.

Vinny's simply ran its course. The traditional Italian restaurant outings for most families has ended. People just can't afford such luxuries any more and I'm sure that after 40 years Vinny just couldn't handle another renovation/transformation to keep up with the current market. I can't blame the guy.

Off topic, I have several classic cars I've held onto for decades. My hope was to pass them on to my kids and guess what, they have absolutely no interest. I'm talking about serious classics worth a lot of money. I'm sure Vinny wanted to pass his hard work onto his kids too but times have changed, unfortunately. Off to Barrett Jackson they'll go.

So stop knocking the guy. Very few readers can say they stuck with the same challenge and demands for 40 years. So know your negative comments are just plain stupid and everyone reading them know it too.

Anonymous said...

The place needed a major renovation. The food was good but it looked dirty and run down.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, hate to see Vinny's close served good food with a good staff...but, I did prefer Fratelli's for Italian food.

Anonymous said...

Carmax will put the car store out of business in 6 months.

Anonymous said...

Joe, thank you so much for posting this. My husband is not from this area and has never eaten there, so we want to make sure to go before the end of the year. Again, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Joe has his head in the sand and won't acknowledge the real reasons why vinnys is closing and is just covering up for him and i thought this was a non censorship blog obviously.not.

Anonymous said...

I think Rosenfelds deli in ocean city would be a great business to open a second place in the Pemberton Coffehouse space.❗️

Anonymous said...

There's also the opportunity here for someone to buy or lease the restaurant from Vinnie and keep the Italian theme going. With some good management and a bit of tweaking it could be a success.

Anonymous said...

9:52 Yes sushi de kanpai is awesome. Best in the area.

Anonymous said...

best pizza in town,,,, now where should i go??? good luck, vinny.

Anonymous said...

So true 8:23

JoeAlbero said...

10:50, Oh please. I owe Vinny nothing. You are simply one of those people with way too much time on your hands. Do tell us what we have censored?

Anonymous said...

Best of luck in retirement Vinny. You'll be missed.

Anonymous said...

The best to Vinnie and his retirement.Joe,your right on when you say survival around here because that's all it is,no profit to be made and it's taxed up the ying yang anyway.

Anonymous said...

So much negativity - everyone just wish Vinny the best in his retirement. Everyone deserves to retire after 40 years in business. Best wishes Vinny.

Anonymous said...

Sad to see them go, although the writing was on the wall. When you start doing Olive Garden-esque promos, like "AYCE Pasta nights". You're circling the drain.

I remember going there as a kid in the late 80's/early 90's, playing on the donkey kong arcade machine.

Too bad his son doesn't have the passion Vinny did.

Scott said...

I have been going to Vinny's for over thirty years. I always loved his pizza's. Vinny is a great guy and I will him well!
It will be hard to find another place that that has the same quality and unique flavor of his pizza's! His sauce was like no other!

Anonymous said...

Vinny is a great person and always had good food at reasonable prices. Sicily is nicer than salisbury...enjoy your retirement.

mommy13 said...

can you let us know where they are and which you like best, I have been looking , thanks

Anonymous said...

hopefully the new mayor will focus on changing the business atmosphere around here and remember that Salisbury is not just the street lined with bricks. This area is due for an "economic boom".

Anonymous said...

His sauce is like no other because Vinny buys his Roma tomatoes from local farmers when they're in season. He also buys his zucchini and eggplant locally when in season. I know because I've sold him tons over the years.

Anonymous said...

Don't count on the new mayor to do anything that does not benefit him greatly. He's another fraud.

Anonymous said...

I only shop at Carmax. They always have the best selection in the financing is super easy. This will put all the rinky-dink car shops out of business within the year.

Anonymous said...

1050 you're an idiot. Thank you for clarifying your position on this matter Joe. Owning a business for 40 years is a tremendous accomplishment.

Anonymous said...

AND no one bothered to mention his staff being unemployed during the holiday season. He didn't run the place alone. I am always saddened to hear when people become unemployed, especially during the holidays.


Anonymous said...

2:27

Yeah at least it will give Pohanka, Price and Sherwood some competition. You can easily save 10-15% on a car if you cross the bay bridge. I saved about 2500 bucks on a used Honda by going up to PA. Absolutely worth it if you know how to use the internet.

Anonymous said...

A lot of business's on the rt 13 strip are closing all of a sudden. The only entity that has plenty of money is Salisbury University I wonder if they are buying all the prime property.

Anonymous said...

Yep but the college lib idiots wont have a pt job to go to ,then again i guess thats what mommy and daddys teet is for.

Anonymous said...

Joe --

This is your chance to bring best Italian cuisine to da bury -- go for it!

Anonymous said...

Sad to read all the negative comments and specifically the ones that blame Joe for not taking over. Its not up to him to continue on, he's not an only child for one and if his passion is elsewhere than so be it. He certainly put his time in and helped out over the years. If Vinnie has decided it's time to move on well then why not say Thanks and Good luck in whatever the future holds for you and your family

Anonymous said...

Losers are always gonna be losers

JoeAlbero said...

7:20, While I really do feel I make some very good Italian food, been there, done that. The restaurant business is extremely demanding. You really have to love what you are doing every single day. I'd rather just make my own food for people I know will enjoy it. I also make some really good Mexican food. Let me tell you though. I have many friends here on the Shore that are just incredible cooks. I'd love to get a few of them together and create a daily MIXTURE of each individuals specialties one day a week for each one of them. Maybe that's the idea. A restaurant that gets rented out one day a week to each person. At the end of the day they clear the register and take home what they make. The best of the best get Friday night and Saturday night traffic/business.

Anonymous said...

That's actually an interesting idea Mr Albero.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for taking a little bit of New York to Salisbury Vinnie.
All the best in your retirement.

Anonymous said...

I resent reading anything negative about Vinny. He ran a great business with great food. Obviously, he lasted 40 yrs. I wish him a happy and healthy retirement.

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing that 4:56 doesn't realize that SU has a business school and most of the students in that program are republicans. Probably doesn't matter because he/she is just repeating what they heard from some dim witted relative over some natural lights and Marlboros.

Anonymous said...

Loved the food at Vinny's!

Good luck in your retirement, Vin!

Also, he had the constant headache of that building, which was a mess when he took it over. Used to be a Pizza Hut. I'm sure that cost him quite a bit.

But 40 years is a long run in the restaurant business especially.

As for Jake Day, I don't feel for him. He wanted to be mayor and sold people on himself being a savior to the city. Stand and deliver.

Anonymous said...

7:20. Response - Joe A. although you present maybe a good idea of renting it daily, I was referring to his son named Joe and the unrealistic expectations of him running the show, for exactly the reasons you brought up about needing to love what you do. If nobody in Vinnie's family has that same passion then it wouldn't work out and close eventually anyway. Better to end it mow on his own terms, he deserves at least that much

Anonymous said...

How's that rust?

Anonymous said...

Albero's idea (called a pop up restaurant) works in many urban areas but would probably not last long in Salisbury where Golden Corral and Olive Garden are packed.

Anonymous said...

I will not miss them have not been there in years prices too high.

Anonymous said...

My point exactly why Golden Corral is always busy... FYI ALPO is less expensive than Dinty Moore. Check the labels - ingredients are similar as is the taste i suspect.

Anonymous said...

I went to Vinny's 2 times. Food was good but expensive for what you got. The real reason I never went back is because it was very dark in there and even at that.........you could just see how dirty it was. They really needed to update and clean up. Dayton's does too. Their food is delicious but it needs a facelift to look cleaner. Enjoy your Retirement!

Anonymous said...

Some years ago there was an Zia's Express (fast food theme basically)with plenty of inside seating available.They had a drive up window & were in front of K Mart where KFC now is.People don't typically associate Italian food with fast food,but it seemed to work well and the food was really good.We never went through the drive thru window,but while we sat inside many cars did.

Anonymous said...

When the outside looks like crap what do you think the kitchen loiks like.

Anonymous said...

Aayy! Oh! Fuhget about it!

Anonymous said...

Great idea!

Anonymous said...

Great idea!

Anonymous said...

Clever idea. LORA and Chamber of Commerce, are you listening?

Anonymous said...

Clever idea. LORA and Chamber of Commerce, are you listening?

Anonymous said...

The kitchen is clean and in good condition.
Vinnie struggled for years to get the crappy construction work fixed after Roland Condon dumped it on him and wouldn't make it right. We were in there one night after Condon's work was "finished" and saw the ceiling fall in over the bar under the weight of what must have been a hundred gallons of rainwater.

Anonymous said...

The kitchen is clean and in good condition.
Vinnie struggled for years to get the crappy construction work fixed after Roland Condon dumped it on him and wouldn't make it right. We were in there one night after Condon's work was "finished" and saw the ceiling fall in over the bar under the weight of what must have been a hundred gallons of rainwater.

Anonymous said...

Never stepped in the door but hate when mom pop places leave us

Anonymous said...

In 40 years, you could not have even bothered to have a meal there, but hate to see mom/pop places go? Where have you dined out over the past 4 decades?

Anonymous said...

If you must know I work in the restaurant business I do cook home meals thanks for being concerned.