Italian Kitchen at the Don Carlos Club to close July 15 — but maybe not for long

FALL RIVER — Arrivederci, Italian Kitchen. At least for now.

After roughly eight months, the Italian Kitchen at the Don Carlos Club will be closing its doors this Friday, July 15, according to an announcement on its Facebook page early last week.

But owner and chef Brendan O'Neil is hopeful this goodbye won't be a permanent one, but rather an "until we meet again" as he searches for a new home.

O'Neil said its off-the-beaten-path location and limitations on days of operation were some of the challenges faced over the past few months that contributed to a lull in business.

"We are not doing the business I had hoped and forecasted for unfortunately ... I don't see us surviving the summer in order for us to get back to the cooler weather, which I believe would have been our better time of year," he said.

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Italian Kitchen first opened at the Don Carlos Club, located at 245 Plain St., in October 2021, offering sit-down dining for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and take-out only Saturday and Sunday.

According to O'Neil, business at the restaurant — a small operation with only five employees — was steady in the beginning. "Lunch in the fall and winter was OK, it was actually building," he said.

But he said he was having a difficult time gaining traction with new clientele and attracting people in the summer who were looking for an al fresco dining experience.

"I anticipated that being a problem or concern but it was a little more than expected," he said.

O'Neil's arrangement with the Don Carlos Club doesn't allow him to open Italian Kitchen for dine-in on the weekends, when the club rents out its function hall, which also didn't help, he said.

"I was aware of that going in and thought we could manage that... but at this time of year and winter time, those are two pretty vital days," O'Neil, who previously owned Il Piatto, an Italian restaurant at the current site of Mesa 21, and a pizza eatery in North Kingston.

Location, he said, was also an obstacle.

"The two streets that sandwich the Don Carlos Club (Plain and North Varley streets) are both one-ways going north, heading toward Locust Street, so that gave our clientele some challenges," he said.

According to O'Neil, he had a petition in front of the Fall River traffic board to get North Varley Street on the west side of the building changed in the opposite direction, but by the time they get a decision on that "I'll be out of the picture in terms of the Don Carlos."

There are also "a lot of things happening outside of our control," O'Neil noted, such as rising gas prices making for less disposable income for residents to spend on dining out.

While his run at the Don Carlos Club is ending, O'Neil will still be serving up fare of a different variety by the shore this summer.

You can find O'Neil dishing out summer food staples — hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, Italian ices and more — seven days a week out of his food truck on the Horseneck Beach pavilion in Westport.

He's had O'Neil's food truck for five years, using it mostly for private parties and one-day festivals and functions. He got a permit to set up at Horseneck last summer, but the weather was not on his side.

"This year so far has been great, the weather has been beautiful," he said.

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O'Neil said he has his eyes out for a new home for Italian Kitchen, but doesn't see himself jumping into something until September or October at the earliest "unless it's an absolutely perfect spot."

He is also hoping to stay in the city if possible.

"I like the Fall River area very much. I'm from here, I grew up here... this is home," he said.

Those who still have gift cards to the restaurant are encouraged to drop in and use them before the end of business on Friday.

The Italian Kitchen is open for dinner Monday to Friday, from 5 to 9 p.m. Takeout is also available by calling 508-272-8004.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Italian Kitchen at the Don Carlos Club to close July 15