You've got one last chance to eat DeLuca's pizza. Restaurant to close for good after Saturday
LANSING - Devoted fans of DeLuca's Restaurant have just one more day to get a slice of the iconic eatery's pizza.
Saturday will be the last day of business before it closes for good, the end of 61 years of serving food in Lansing, said John DeLuca, the restaurant’s vice president.
Tentative plans with a prospective buyer for the West Willow Street business fell through, DeLuca said, and owners have decided to close the doors.
The restaurant was placed on the market in September, with a listing price of $895,000.
In the last month, DeLuca said customers have kept staff at the restaurant busy.
"We have been blessed with wonderful employees and wonderful customers," he said. "What more could you ask for. What a ride."
DeLuca's Restaurant will be open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for carry-out orders, and for dine-in and carry out until 9 p.m.
"Or until we run out of supplies," DeLuca said.
The family-run Italian restaurant opened in 1960. Its pizza is a Lansing favorite, known for its house-made sauce on a buttery crust, covered generously with toppings and lots of cheese.
That recipe evolved over years of listening to customer requests. It started with John DeLuca's father, Pasquale "Pat" DeLuca, who immigrated to the U.S. from southern Italy in the late 1930s.
He arrived in Durand by train and spent his first night in Michigan sleeping in a ditch after the person he thought was picking him up didn't show.
John DeLuca started working at the restaurant when he was 14.
"We just want to thank the wonderful customers we've had and the wonderful staff who have worked so hard to serve the customers in Lansing," he said. "We are so proud."
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Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: You've got one last chance to eat DeLuca's pizza. Restaurant to close for good after Saturday
