Iconic restaurant and Olive Garden rival closes its doors for good after more than four decades of service

A BELOVED Italian restaurant has announced it is closing its doors after more than 40 years in business.

Angeloni’s II Restaurant and Lounge in Atlantic City, New Jersey will close next month.

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According to local radio station WPGG, the restaurant’s owner, Alan Angeloni, is set to retire.

The restaurant — an Olive Garden competitor — has been in business for 42 years and its last day of business is April 30.

Angeloni’s offers Italian foodies a selection of savory staples, from spaghetti with meatballs to homemade gnocchi and classics like veal parmigiana.

Alan told Atlantic City Weekly that the restaurant’s style hasn’t changed since it opened.

He said: “If you came in here 40 years ago, it was exactly the same.

“In the past, when we had guest comment cards filled out, they always said the same thing: how much they loved the old-school charm of the place, how much they enjoyed the classic ambiance.

“So, like my dad said, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’

The restaurant is only serving dinner as it has suspended its lunch menu during the Covid pandemic.

Angeloni’s isn’t the only restaurant business to have closed branches.

A Bravo Italian Kitchen restaurant in Leawood, Kansas closed its doors on March 5.

And the popular restaurant chain Red Lobster recently closed several of its restaurants.

His restaurant at Almaden Plaza, San Jose, closed permanently earlier this month after 39 years of trading.

Red Lobster still has a presence in the California city as its restaurant on Aborn Road is still in operation.

In January, chefs decided to close a Red Lobster restaurant in Beachwood, Ohio.

The restaurant has been serving Americans for more than 45 years, but has reportedly underperformed compared to other branches.

Last December, a Red Lobster location in San Angelo, Texas closed after 38 years in business.

According to Red Lobster, the closures are a normal part of the process and growth path.

A spokesman told The US Sun: “We regularly review our restaurant portfolios as part of the normal course of business.

“As a result, we have concluded that these locations are no longer suitable for Red Lobster.”

Last summer, the chain’s Roanoke, Va., restaurant closed permanently after more than 43 years of operation, according to local NBC affiliate WSLS-TV.

The US Sun reported how pizza giant Papa Murphy’s closed 72 of its stores last year due to poor performance.

And popular restaurant chain Cracker Barrel has abruptly closed three locations.