As one Italian restaurant closes in Rochester, a new pizzeria opens
Jan. 4—ROCHESTER — When one door closes, another one opens.
Med City social media is abuzz this week with the recent closing of
Fazoli's Italian Restaurant
on the east frontage road of U.S. 52 North.
Signs on the 26-year-old fast food building state, "We regret to announce that
Fazoli's in Rochester
is permanently closed."
While it looks like Fazoli's "unlimited breadsticks" have ended, there still might be life in that restaurant location.
Kentucky-based Fazoli's built and opened in Rochester in 1996.
Work crews were out there on Tuesday taking down signs. A new water heater was just installed less than a month ago. While it is unclear what the future of the building might be, the signs seem to indicate that something is cooking following the closure of Fazoli's.
On the positive side of Rochester's restaurant ledger, Carbone's Pizzeria, a legendary name in pizza from St. Paul, opened a new Med City location at 2723 Commerce Drive NW on Jan. 1.
Dan Howard and Scott LaMott opened the new pizzeria in the former Crooked Pint Ale House at 2723 Commerce Drive NW. LaMott owns the Carbone's in Northfield, Minn.
Carbone's has a long history in Minnesota, starting in 1954 in a small Italian grocery on St. Paul's east side. It has grown to 36 locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin with one in Montana. This is the first time Carbone's has cooked in the Rochester market.
The return of pizza to the Commerce Drive building is a return to its original focus. It was built in 2006 to house a Green Mill pizza restaurant. Green Mill abruptly closed at the start of 2015 and was replaced by the Crooked Pint.
Jeff Kiger tracks business action in Rochester and southeastern Minnesota every day in "Heard on the Street." Send tips to
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@whereskiger
. You can call him at 507-285-7798.
