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Comment from David Troyer
Time: September 1, 2007, 9:53 am

I heard rumors of this a few weeks ago but it didn’t materialize at the time. It is a sad story from what I understand.

Comment from Tina
Time: September 1, 2007, 10:10 am

That’s too bad. Although I haven’t gone there much lately, I was always a fan of the place.

Comment from David Miller
Time: September 1, 2007, 11:10 am

Someone should really buy the place. If it were run as a business, it could really prosper.

Comment from Ben
Time: September 1, 2007, 11:37 am

Someone I know vomited profusely in the dining room at Luigi’s and is probably the cause of the untimely demise of such a fine dining establishment.

Comment from Tim
Time: September 1, 2007, 11:46 am

More then just great pizza, I’m sad to see it go.

Comment from Del Marvel
Time: September 1, 2007, 11:57 am

I haven’t eaten there for a long time, either. But for quite a while there have been far fewer cars in the parking lot than there used to be.

Comment from JGFitzgerald
Time: September 1, 2007, 4:56 pm

The week my father was dying, 15 years ago now, everyone who came by the hospital wanted to know if there was anything they could do. Naturally, there wasn’t, but it’s just something you ask anyway. Except for Beth, whose brother ran Luigi’s at the time (and may have founded it, if memory serves), and who was driving to the ‘Burg for a couple of days. Two large cheese pizzas, I told her. Extra garlic.

The pizzas were sitting on the front porch the morning after the old man died. Real garlic too, not the powdered stuff. They helped, as much as anything could.

Comment from Benny Neal
Time: September 1, 2007, 9:45 pm

I’ll bet Frank Witt and his wife Barbra, could make a success
of Luigi’s…I heard the owner had some personal things going on as well that contributed to the closing. I’m sure it’s hard on him. We should all say a prayer for him and all that it affected.

Comment from Frank J. Witt
Time: September 2, 2007, 10:16 am

Benny, my experience in the business includeda stint of 2 years at a fresh dough pizzaria and I’ll tell you. IT IS VERY HARD WORK. The time and knowledge involved in the handling of the dough is the key to success. A great sauce as well and a receptive town. We have been fortunate enough to have great customer experiences…yes, even the student across the street are very respectful, but I doubt this town needs/wants another episode of the same ole, same ole.

The future is …

Comment from Del Marvel
Time: September 2, 2007, 11:39 am

You know, a number of different ownerships back down the line, there used to be a Luigi’s Pizza in the building that is now Kinko’s on South Main. I always wondered how someone could go out of business with a pizza shop in that location.

Comment from Frank J. Witt
Time: September 2, 2007, 5:05 pm

Del ~ look at the Target store…they thought it would be a HUGE Success…not finacially the truth. There are shops in the mall that have closed. There are restaurants that are featured ALOT in the local fishwraps that are not doing well…if you cannot captrue that all mighty local dollar, then they are not doing well. The people of this town love to suport locally owned/operated fronts, but the main dollars go to the chains. The citizenship of H-Burg enjoy the “chain” mentality almost too much. If they were to spend a few minutes trying out what the Burg has to offer…they would be surpised how much money they could save and how much better a meal they could enjoy.

Having said that, we small business owners cannot afford to increase our advertising budgets to match the local chains and really rely on word of mouth. If anyone here trashes us or any other store, we can only hope that the people that read this blog are smart enough to ignore their remarks and try us out on their own.

Comment from Benny Neal
Time: September 2, 2007, 5:40 pm

Frank,
Only one person trashed you. And I really don’t think it actually had anything to do with the restaurant.

Everyone else, including myself, speaks very highly of your restaurant, Kitchen Classics.

We will be back for our B&B burger soon. Life has been hectic. Our son was sick, and tests have kept us busy.

Don’t worry I’LL BE BACK! My mouth is watering just thinking about that burger.

Comment from Frank J. Witt
Time: September 3, 2007, 6:57 am

Benny, I was thinking that the race was running you down. Sorry to hear that your son was and all is well with us. See y’all soon.

Comment from Howard
Time: September 4, 2007, 11:35 am

I know that I noticed the last few months (maybe year) the service at Luigi’s had become terrible. I called in order (pick up) and when I arrived a glazed over look came over the waitresses face??? Huh? sorry didn’t get that…this happend several times and then a few other incidents lead us to believe something was wrong…then I think an operation similar to Luigi’s opened up on S. Main, by the 7-11…they seemed to operate smoothly, had our pick-up order ready, etc…

we thought to ourselves…looks like the end of Luigi’s…sure enough…too bad…

Comment from Marty
Time: September 5, 2007, 8:36 am

Ahh, that sucks. That was a good local hangout. Good pizza and good suds with a laid-back atmosphere and good prices.

Comment from JW
Time: September 5, 2007, 9:33 am

Having talked to several of the employees, they closed it, not the owner. They were tired of not getting paid. They just all collectively decided to shut down, and not come back to work.

If you go by and look inside, it looks like the shift was over and they just left without cleaning up.

It was a great spot many moons ago. Fabulous food, dependent on who was running the kitchen of course.. Spent many an evening and lots of cash at Luigi’s over the years.

Couple of years back they had several changes in ownership. 3 partners dwindled to 1 sole proprietor… and well, the food quality suffered. The old managers left, the owner resorted to buying lower quality ingredients and the fare reflected it.

Sad to see it go. Was hoping that it might turn itself around.
But it went out with a whimper…

Comment from linz
Time: September 5, 2007, 11:36 am

RIP Luigi’s. I’ll miss the good beer, the chicken and broccoli pizza, and the dancing Elvis that used to hang on the wall.

Comment from Barnabas
Time: September 6, 2007, 8:30 am

Luigi’s had some good points about it, but the food was never great. It was okay pizza made good if you added the shake. The atmosphere was more the draw than anything else. Ciro’s In Verona has great pizza, Anthonys Italian Touch has to be the best delivered pizza I’ve had. Sorry Luigi’s but in the 13 years I’ve been a cutsomer I was never impressed.

Comment from Frank J Witt
Time: September 15, 2007, 4:30 pm

Man..Oh…Man

Whatever happened in there before they closed musta been big. Overturned tables, smashed beer bottles and it looks like someone set off fire extinguishes in the kitchen. There is also a 2″ puddle of water with some funk on top of it all over the left section of floor. The kitchen is a huge mess and they have a pentagram hanging over the salad prep area.

If that place is ever to be re-opened, it will take a ton of work and more than one health inspection I’m sure. I have a great business plan to import some life into a place like that but the $$ involved I think as a little out of reach.

I know I found the “something new” that this town MIGHT like but I don’t think that is the place and it would be something that this town does not have already…oh well.

Comment from finnegan
Time: September 27, 2007, 9:28 am

Check out the blurb on page 34 of the October edition of eightyone:

…And that they did, reportedly overturing tables, smashing bottles and trashing the kitchen…

Comment from Deona Landes Houff
Time: September 27, 2007, 9:35 am

We’ll get that October issue online within a few days, promise!

Comment from finnegan
Time: November 2, 2007, 10:16 am

From a letter to the editor from Jill McMullan in this month’s eightyone:

…the line about employees “reportedly overturning tables, smashing bottles, and trashing the kitchen” is absolutely not true, and I resent that. I’m still not sure who did that, or if it was even the cause of any employees at all.

Comment from Frank J Witt
Time: November 2, 2007, 10:43 am

I read that letter yesterday but forgot to post about it. Maybe some one broke in and turned tables over, drank beers and smashed the bottles on the floor and trashed the kitchen. I also read in sort of a horrors kinda way where she says that NOT all of the employees have/had hygiene issues ! !

;)

Pingback from hburgnews » So long, 2007
Time: December 20, 2007, 1:02 pm

[...] 56, and others, as well as the demise of Main Street Bar & Grill, RT’s, and the original Luigi’s on South High. Calhoun’s and several Daily Grind cafes changed names. Looks like we’ll [...]

Pingback from hburgnews.com » Luigi’s shutting down
Time: October 30, 2008, 12:08 pm

[...] year ago, the original Luigi’s Pizza on South High Street closed. Now Luigi’s downtown is closing its [...]