COLUMBUS, Ohio — A beloved restaurant located in the Grandview area will be closing its doors this weekend after nearly 60 years in business.
Owners of Paul’s Fifth Avenue posted a message to Facebook and a sign inside their restaurant announcing the July 7 closure. Paul’s has served customers from its West 5th Avenue location for the past 58 years.
"I'm devastated to find out that they are closing on July the 7th," customer Miriam Burns told 10TV after just having breakfast at the restaurant. "I've only known about Paul's for a couple of years. I usually come here with friends who have been coming here for a long, long time and it's an iconic breakfast restaurant in Columbus."
Burns said that since the news broke, there were even more people at Paul's than usual Sunday morning. She said there was a 40-minute wait, but it was "absolutely" worth it.
Before Paul’s opened on Fifth Avenue, owner Paul Panzera operated various “Paul’s Pantry” restaurants, including locations in Worthington and Thurber Village and on Olentangy River Road and West Third Avenue.
“I’m forever thankful and incredibly grateful to all of our staff and crew throughout the decades, all of our customers, and to the Grandview community for the support all of these years,” Panzera said. “It is impossible to put hard number on it, but when we estimate, we’ve served something like 7 million meals. As my father would’ve said…..Not too bad!”
The message says Panzera was born in Italy and immigrated to the United States at age 7. He began working at Tedeschi’s Italian Bakery, a site that later became his first restaurant in 1966 while he was in high school.
He was then drafted into the Vietnam War at 19 years old and returned to his business after his service ended.
Some of his best-known dishes include Italian wedding soup, lasagna, specialty veal and chicken dishes, as well as traditional and unique pasta dishes.
Panzera then entered into the catering business, focusing on full-service events.
Throughout the years, Panzera became a member of the Columbus chapter of the American Culinary Association and was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs. He mentored and taught dozens of aspiring apprentice chefs.
“We’re incredibly proud to have served our customers, seven days a week, for the past 58 years. Now, on to the next adventure – whatever that might be,” Panzera said.
