55

Unlike most food industry businessmen, Kyriakos Konstantakis and Krenar Jaupaj are not shy about revealing the secret ingredient to the 55-year-old recipe of Central Pizza in Southbridge. “A strong partnership,” said Konstantakis, 52. “That’s always been the base.” On Tuesday, he shook hands with Jaupaj, 42, as their pizzeria reopened its doors after two years of forced closure because of issues brought on by the building’s structural issues and COVID-19. Konstantakis said that he poured $1 million into the restaurant to rebuild with the help of an architect to feature a new bar off the pizzeria.

$26.7M

Amazon Data Services Inc. this month purchased properties in Grafton, Shrewsbury and Westborough for a total of $26.7 million from a Boston-based financial services company. The company purchased a 1.8-acre property at 8 Centennial Drive in Grafton for $15.1 million from State Street Corp. The property includes a 153,193-square-foot building across the Shrewsbury town line. In Westborough, Amazon purchased properties at 600 and 800 Friberg Parkway for $11.6 million, also from State Street Corp. The property at 600 Friberg Parkway is listed to be at 11.12 acres and includes a 99,160-square-foot building, according to the Westborough Assessors Office.

220

The on-site diner at the Southbridge Municipal Airport — most recently known as The Red Baron Diner — reopened Nov. 12 as Josh’s Place. The diner had been closed since September 2021, when operator James Dhembe died. The new operator, chef Joshua Letendre, runs the diner at 220 Airport Access Road with two other employees, serving breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. The 42-year-old Letendre has 25 years of culinary experience, including having worked at The Breakfast Club in Malden and Corrib Pub in Brighton.

231

Ferris Development Group of Southborough filed suit against the Town of Westborough recently in Worcester Superior Court, saying the Westborough Select Board did not follow the criteria listed in the official Request for Proposals to redevelop the former Regal Cinemas property at 231 Turnpike Road. The board on Nov. 2 awarded the bid to LAX Media, a Walpole company that operates multiple movie theaters throughout New England. LAX Media was one of three bidders, along with Ferris, that proposed converting the building into a business center and office building for local small businesses and tradesmen; and the PulteGroup, a housing developer.

$3M

In a Request for Proposals, the City of Worcester has set a minimum bid of $3 million for the Denholm Building at 484-500 Main St. and will consider it “highly advantageous” if a developer plans either a mixed-use retail and residential or mixed-use retail and office building at the site. “This is basically identifying the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and the city’s partner in this site moving forward,” Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn said of the RFP process. The RFP seeks developers to either demolish or reuse the existing 137-year-old building, which housed retail giant Denholm & McKay until the store closed in 1973.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Business Matters: Central Mass. by the Numbers