Longtime Wallingford Restaurant Closing, Owners Announce With ‘Very Heavy Hearts’

WALLINGFORD, CT — Laskara restaurant in Wallingford is closing its doors for good after 26 years in business, the owners announced Saturday with “very heavy hearts.”

Earlier in the week, the owners said the restaurant was temporarily closing for repairs.

However, in an update on Saturday, the owners announced in a post on Facebook that Laskara was closing for good.

“We first want to thank everyone for reaching out over this week with concerns about our Laskara repairs,” the post on Facebook reads. “Unfortunately, it isn't good news. With very very heavy hearts, we have decided to close our doors for good. This decision did not come lightly and I want to apologize to the staff and our community.”

Laskara, located at 295 Parker Farms Rd., is a family owned and operated Mediterranean restaurant that has been open since 1999.

In Jan. 2021, Laskara received a boost from Barstool Sports and its founder Dave Portnoy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frustrated with the plight of small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, Portnoy launched the Barstool Fund to help see them through the crisis. Portnoy, known for his popular “One Bite” pizza reviews, said at the time that the plan for the fund was to provide businesses (starting with restaurants) with a monthly check for as long as is needed.

Maria Riopel, who co-owns Laskara with her mother, submitted a video to Barstool at the time to be considered for the fund. In the video, Riopel said her family opened Laskara in 1999, and they took a huge hit when her father passed away, but they wanted to keep the restaurant open because “we love it.”

“We love our staff, we love our customers, we love the community,” Riopel said in the emotional video. “And we had some really hard times. We had some things that we didn’t know about after my dad passed away. We were struggling to keep the doors open. We finally did a turnaround, we were starting to do really well, we were starting to see profit again. And then COVID hit.”

Laskara prominently displayed a banner outside the restaurant thanking Portnoy and Barstool Sports for the assistance.

In the Facebook post on Saturday, Riopel explained the decision to close the restaurant.

“Unfortunately, with the age of everything in the building and the decline of Jenny's health, we felt it best to say goodbye,” the post reads. “It is extremely heartbreaking and would appreciate you understanding that this business was everything to us and our memories of John.

“We wish it didn't happen this way.

“I would like to thank my husband for literally holding us up from the ground when we fell crying and screaming. Please know this decision was not easy.

“We would like to thank the staff for being there through these years when they were good and especially in the dark times. You all were truly the backbone of the restaurant.

“We would like to thank the community for supporting us through these past 26 years. Wallingford is an amazing place and we appreciate every single one of you that walked through those doors.

“We wish everyone well and once again THANK YOU!”

See also: Wallingford Restaurant Receives Boost From Barstool Sports