Storied 90-year-old Italian restaurant is sold after owners couldn’t find any family members to take over

A 90-year-old Italian family restaurant has been sold after no more family members could be found to run the restaurant.

Tommaso’s Ristorante Italiano in San Francisco has been sold by the Crotti family after more than 50 years.

One of the owners, Carmen Crotti, was previously told San Francisco Gate that she and her co-owners hoped that another family member would take over the business, but that this was not possible after they both chose different career paths.

“For us, this is more than just a business, because over the years our customers have become an integral part of our family,” the Crotti family said in a statement Monday.

“Our reason for retiring is simple. We’ve been here 51 years, getting older and the physical aspect of running a restaurant takes its toll,” Carmen told the Gate.

‘That said, Tommasos has been our life, our customers have become family and we will miss him tremendously.

“We will remain present until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.”

The Crotti family will transfer the restaurant to the new owners in December.

Carmen emphasized that under the new ownership, hardly anything will change. The restaurant wants to keep the menu and the name.

The staff also stays on after the restaurant changes ownership. Many of them have been working in the restaurant for decades.

Tommaso’s, formerly Lupo’s, was opened in 1935 by the Cantalupo family, who emigrated to San Francisco from Naples, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

It is said that dishes from the first wood-fired pizza oven on the West Coast were served here.

In 1971, the restaurant was sold to chef Tommy Chin, who changed the name to Tommaso’s.

In 1973, the Crotti family purchased the establishment, kept the name and has been running this local favorite ever since.

Tommaso’s was awarded Legacy Business status by the city in 2017.

The Crotti family will transfer ownership in December, after 51 years with the company

Restaurants across America have been struggling this year. Faced with higher costs, they’ve raised menu prices — but that’s led to a drop in customers.

Larger chains like Applebee’s, TGI Fridays and Boston Market have all recently closed their restaurants, as have smaller chains like BurgerFi.

Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in May and closed nearly 100 restaurants. This week, the new owners were announced. The chain’s debt load is so high that it owes $21 million for shrimp alone.

Chains have been hit hardest in California, where the minimum wage for fast-food restaurants increased to $20 an hour effective April 1.

In early June, Mexican chain Rubio’s closed 48 locations in the state and also filed for bankruptcy.

Even small family businesses like Tommaso’s are closed.

Earlier this month, for example, Fargo’s Pit BBQ in Texas closed its doors after more than two decades of serving brisket, ribs and other barbecue classics.

Last month, two classic Italian restaurants in the Bay Area closed their doors on the same day.