Iconic family-owned Italian restaurant is closing after 90 years – and no one knows why

After 91 years, an iconic Italian-American restaurant is closing its doors this month.

The family-owned Hollywood Restaurant was opened by Dan and Rose Cecora in 1933, during the Great Depression.

In 1966, their daughter Bridget and her husband Joe Colella took over and later their son Joe Colella Jr. took over – the third generation of the family running the company.

The announcement that it will close for good on June 29 was made on Hollywood’s Facebook page – where owners and staff thanked their “amazing customers, friends and community for their support.”

In return, locals poured out praise. “A favorite childhood Christmas memory will always be the animated elves in restaurant windows,” wrote David Contiguglia.

“Thank you for serving Auburn for decades.”

Joe Colella Jr (right) is the third generation of the same family that runs the Hollywood Restaurant in Auburn, NY

Cassandra Schramm wrote: ‘This breaks my heart. I’ve been going for 33 years. A great restaurant that filled people with food and love.”

And Patrick Chiarilli recalled, “We recently celebrated our 50th anniversary with friends and family in your dining room. Delicious.’

Kay Reilly added, “My favorite place for a birthday dinner for as long as I can remember!”

Some mentioned their favorite server – and one named Jeannie appeared.

Ellen Holland said, “From my brother working there in the 80s, to three sibling rehearsal dinners, to countless family dinners,

‘Jeannie was my favorite waitress who also became the godmother of my niece Cassandra,

She recalled her first experience with escargots, where the ENTIRE RESTAURANT saw me running to the bathroom and immediately heard the escargots coming back up.”

She did say, “It was a matter of texture, not taste. They were lovely down.”

Hollywood’s Facebook postdated June 2, read: ‘We are at the end of a multi-generational journey.

“Uncountable numbers of entire families and others have worked here. Friendships, weddings and thousands of family events have taken place around our dining room floors.

‘These things are a source of pride and happiness for all of us. It is also part of our sadness. We will all miss it, but look forward to the next chapters of our lives.”

The family provided few clues as to the reason for the closure. Small chains and independent restaurants like Hollywood have closed rapidly over the past year.

Hollywood Restaurant has been flooded with tributes since announcing it would be closing for good

Many have difficulty with it the aftershocks of the pandemic, which caused labor problems, inflation and a change in the way Americans eat out.

The message read: ‘We wish you all the best and would like to share that our friends and family also wish us well.

“We want everyone to know that our health is relatively good and that the restaurant will not be on the market anytime soon.”