By james art Zito! Pizzeria & Grill plans to close in Winston-Salem after 10 years.
The owners announced in a Facebook post on October 29 that the restaurant will close on November 8. The post also said the owners plan to open a new restaurant in Mount Airy in the near future.
Helen and Evangelos Manginas opened Zito in 2014 at 3030 Healy Drive.
Evangelos Manginas was born in Greece, who came to Canada as a teenager, became a restaurateur there before moving to North Carolina.
He ran Zito’s until he died in 2018 at the age of 60 after being hit by a car while crossing the street in front of the restaurant.
Zito’s closed for several months after his death, but reopened in March 2019 under the management of Manginas’ then-22-year-old daughter, Victoria, with the help of her mother, Helen.
Victoria Manginas has been managing the restaurant for the past five years.
In the post, Victoria Manginas said she wishes the restaurant was closer to where she lives.
“After careful prayer and consideration, we have decided to close our doors and relocate to Mount Airy,” the post said. “It wasn’t an easy decision as my parents opened this establishment together, but as time went on and my mother neared retirement, I felt it was best to have a location closer to home.”
Manginas also thanked his staff, family and friends for all their support.
The closure on November 8 will be one day before the sixth anniversary of Evangelos Manginas’ death.
Manginas said details about the new restaurant in Mount Airy will be coming soon.