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After 38 years, Carmine’s Family Restaurant closes doors

After 38 years, Carmine’s Family Restaurant closes doors

Carmine's on Maiden Lane in Greece has closed. The restaurant originally was located on West Henrietta Road in Henrietta (photo by Kevin Oklobzija).
Carmine’s on Maiden Lane in Greece has closed. The restaurant originally was located on West Henrietta Road in Henrietta (photo by Kevin Oklobzija).

The most recent post on the Carmine’s Family Restaurant Facebook page was about Cruise Night, encouraging patrons to stop by on July 19 to admire the classic cars and “remember the good old days.”

For Carmine’s customers and employees, memories are all that remain.

After 38 years in business, beginning on West Henrietta Road and for the past 22 years on Maiden Lane in Greece, the restaurant has closed its doors for good following the March death of owner Mauro Petrella.

Vendors were removing equipment earlier this week and a hand-written sign on the door simply said “Closed.”

Petrella and his brother, Carmine, opened the restaurant in Henrietta on May 11, 1983, reviving the 1950s-style drive-in with roller skating waitresses while vowing to serve food that would make their mother, Emilia, proud.

They opened a second location in 1987 in Greece along West Ridge Road near Stone Road. When construction called for widening of Ridge Road and a narrowing of the Carmine’s property, Mauro Petrella relocated to 671 Maiden Ln., site of a former Kenny Rogers Roasters.

While the roller skating waitresses disappeared over the years, the step-back-in-time theme remained a part of the Carmine’s with Cruise Night, as car enthusiasts would gather to admire a variety of classic vehicles.

The property, which sits in the Tops Friendly Markets plaza and is adjacent to Walgreens, has been listed by WCI Realty for $349,900.

[email protected]/(585) 653-4020

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