Lakeway Restaurant, 70 years later and ready for next chapter

Oct. 12—ASHTABULA — In 1952, Lawrence Bruno DeGeorge, known to everyone as 'Bruno,' had a dream — opening the finest restaurant in Ashtabula County, serving the best food in a clean and friendly atmosphere.

Today, 70 years later, his wife Gerri DeGeorge can say about Lakeway Restaurant, "This was my husband's dream. It came true."

"At first, he had gumball and candy machines," Gerri DeGeorge said. "Then when the old Lakeway [which stood next door to the present-day building] came up for sale, Bruno said, 'Let's take a chance.'"

When the DeGeorge family first bought the old Lakeway, it featured a lunch counter, a deli case, sandwiches and homemade pies and pizza.

Old-timers might remember when a bowl of soup cost 25-cents, a hot dog 30-cents and a grilled corned beef sandwich a whopping 60-cents.

But the building was old and, as the years passed, one of two things had to happen — either the DeGeorges had to invest a lot of money to fix it up, or demolish it and build a new one.

They built a new one in 1975, the same year their son David DeGeorge graduated from St. John High School.

Three years later, David graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y., and he's been adding his own special touch to the restaurant's recipes throughout the past 44 years.

When they built the new restaurant, they incorporated some of the features of the old, he said.

"We built a lunch counter with a grill, and with stools on one side," he said. "On the other side, we made it a bit more upscale ... we tried to bring together old and new."

Gerri DeGeorge and her son kept the business running after Bruno died of a heart attack 27 years ago. They kept the restaurant running in his honor, holding onto moral, values and a business model that Bruno himself created.

Mother and son have happily served the residents of Ashtabula County, and others, for the past 70 years. They have made countless memories with their staff and customers. They have established numerous relationships with their customers and consider some to be family.

"It has been an honor to be in business for as long as we have, but the time has come, and my mother and I are ready to retire," David DeGeorge said. "It will be bittersweet."

David hopes that somebody will recognize all the blood, sweat, and tears that has gone into establishing and maintaining a successful staple of the Ashtabula Harbor for decades.

He hopes that someone who shares the same dream as Bruno did, all those years ago, will come along and want to buy the business.

Harbor Reality is listing the sale of the business.

"My children have their own careers and families, and my wife Vickie and I want time to enjoy them," he said.

Their daughter, Angela, 30, is recently married and is a nurse practitioner. Their son, Anthony, 27, is also recently married and is an instrumentation and electrical journeyman. They both plan to start having children in the near future.

"I have worked very hard throughout my career," David DeGeorge said. "I have enjoyed every aspect of running and owning Lakeway. The time has come for me to pass along this gift to someone else."

He also expressed his gratitude to his customers.

"Lakeway wouldn't be what it is today without all its loyal customers," he said. "I would love for someone to come along and continue to serve the people who consider Lakeway a 'home away from home.'"

Gerri fondly remembers many of her old and current customers.

"They are like family," she said. "Our employees also mean so much to us. We have loyal, dependable help."

The DeGeorges said business really picks up in the summer, thanks to boaters and fishermen flocking to the area. Walnut Beach lures visitors from Pittsburgh and Youngstown, too.

Our Lady of Peace Parish brings a large gathering of customers every Sunday, all year round, David DeGeorge said.

"They like to come to a place where 'everyone knows their name,'" he said.

DeGeorge and his mother have a good mother-son relationship and a good working relationship.

"The time has come to retire, and now we hope to pass this blessing on to another family," he said. "We hope that all our loyal customers will understand. It will be the end of a legacy, but also a time to celebrate."

Lakeway Restaurant is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday in the winter. Hours are extended in the summertime.

The DeGeorges say they will continue to proudly serve their customers until the opportunity arises to pass the torch.