Community Corner

Romeo's Closes For Good, Leaves Second Empty Space In Shopping Center

The economy claimed the homegrown Italian restaurant after almost four years.

Customers walking up to Princess Shopping Center in Eldersburg have one less dining option.

closed in January after almost four years in business.

“We were holding just because we made some cuts, but in all this time business was never great,” said Michael Romeo, owner of Romeo’s Italian Bistro. “We received many compliments for the place, for the food, but it never was a success.”

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In June 2007, Mike and Cristina Romeo started Romeo’s Italian Bistro, taking the vacant space left when Strapazza closed its doors.

The Italian restaurant is one of a few businesses in the area over the past months that has become a victim of the poor economy.

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Quiznos just a few doors down from Romeo’s .

“In the Eldersburg area, through 20 years in the food industry, I have never seen anything like this,” said Romeo. “Liberty Road is saturated with restaurants. I will not be surprised to see other businesses shutting down. It's really hard to stay in business. Sometimes there were days that we were getting only 5-6 tables total, the whole day.”

But this isn’t only an issue in Eldersburg.  

In 2009, 5,204 restaurants closed in the United States according to a study, up from 4,000 in 2008, with the most being independent restaurants.

“It's hard to pay a big rent without making big money. It was a struggle,” said Romeo. “We feel sorry for our customers, we had many regulars coming once a week or more.”

What’s next for the husband and wife team?

“I don't know what the future holds. I definitely need to find a job as soon as possible,” said Romeo.


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