THE proprietors of a St Helier pizzeria that has closed its doors after almost three decades have spoken of their sadness at making the decision and expressed gratitude to loyal customers.
An era ended earlier this month when the final diners were served at Pizzeria Romana, which was established by Tony Pigliacelli in 1997.
The business was devastated by a massive fire in April 2019, which – together with the Covid pandemic that began the following year – led to a three-year closure of the Charing Cross site.
Mr Pigliacelli and his wife Angela were finally able to re-open Pizzeria Romana in June 2022, but four years later the couple said they had reluctantly taken the decision to close permanently.
A combination of factors contributed to the decision, Mrs Pigliacelli said – including the changing nature of running a hospitality business, staffing issues, and the health problems her husband had suffered since the fire.
But the couple has been left with a lot of happy memories, and are hoping that a new operator will step forward to purchase the lease for the site.
“We are very grateful for the support we had from all our regular customers,” said Mrs Pigliacelli.
“We had many customers who remained loyal to us all the way through, including the temporary move to Elizabeth Place [when the site was being refurbished], and without their support we wouldn’t have kept that going this far.”
Mr Pigliacelli’s connection with the site goes back even further – he started work at the Steakhouse restaurant in 1978, then worked at Gio’s in Halkett Place for three years before buying the lease for the Steakhouse in 1989, subsequently re-styling the business as a pizzeria in 1997.
The couple said they had seen changes to customers’ dining habits, with fewer office workers taking a “proper” lunch hour, and a move away from mid-week dining out towards delivery options.
But they added that they still felt the site would work well for a hospitality entrepreneur wanting to operate from a well-known site in the centre of St Helier.
Mrs Pigliacelli said: “We hope it would be a good opportunity for a younger person with new ideas and energy to take this, because it is a lovely business.
“The location is excellent, the whole building has been refurbished and we have had lots of business from many of the hotels in St Helier, including the Premier Inn across the road over the last few years.”
The final day coincided with the departure of Sandra Gouveia, who had become an integral part of Pizzeria Romana since joining in 2002.
“Sandra was a wonderful and happy character, she was very positive and uplifting and really she kept us going,” said Mrs Pigliacelli.
“She became a good friend to our customers and it would have taken two people, at least, to replace her.”
Many Islanders have taken to social media to express their appreciation and good wishes to Mr and Mrs Pigliacelli, as well as to Ms Gouveia.
The Pigliacellis can be contacted via the Pizzeria Romana Facebook page.
