Mary M's closes after 38 years
By CHRISTOPHER BOBBY Tribune ChronicleArticle Photos
WARREN - A couple from Ravenna just sat in their car, scratching their heads Tuesday afternoon when they arrived to have a bite to eat at Mary M's Restaurant on Parkman Road N.W.
The sign on the door said ''closed.''
A co-owner said the eatery was shuttered for lack of business.
Police detectives earlier in the day were discussing the restaurant closing its doors, wondering where they could catch a quick lunch instead.
Named after 90-year-old Mary Madeline DePascale, who first opened up the restaurant with her husband, Art, in January 1970 as a Perkins Pancake House, the business changed names in 1982 to Mary M's and became a fixture on the city's westside. A glass atrium, awnings and larger windows were added in 1987
''When I was a police officer, I used to go in there all the time and give Art a hard time. He used to hide my portable radio in the flower pot. He thought it was a big joke,'' said Tom Stewart, a retired Warren police officer and Trumbull County sheriff's captain.
After Art's death, the restaurant was sold to the couple's daughter and son-in-law, Virginia and Russell Johnston, who continue to operate Rusty's South Side Grill on South Avenue in Boardman.
''Basically, we closed because of a lack of business at that location,'' Russell Johnston said Tuesday. ''But more importantly, we want to thank all the patrons we've had there for almost 39 years.''
He said he worked at the restaurant since the 1970s.
He said 55 people were employed there when the business closed around Labor Day.
The sign next to the roadway also thanks the patrons and advertises the business and property for sale through William Zamarelli Realtors.
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smokey
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09-10-08 11:34 PM
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am spilt when it comes to m's i have to agree the food was good,years ago, but then it is a shame to see a place like that close, i myself prefer the mom and pop reasturants as apposed to the fast food. as for the waitresses i really have no preference and don't care what they look like aslong as their friendly, come to me when i need something,and take care of any request that i have. but i know i wouldn't want to be one most of them basically live off their tips the majority don't get min wage, it is a very hard job to do you have to be the right kind of person for it and i know i feel for any waitress its very hard work + they have to put up with the bowels of society, nope thats one job i wouldn't wish on anyone.
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dennie67
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09-10-08 10:34 PM
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This was one of our family favorites. We'll miss it.
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suckmykiss
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09-10-08 1:27 PM
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Mary M's had the best reuben I have ever had in my life and I will miss it dearly! The place closed for no other reason than Russ not wanting to stay in Warren. That and the fact that he ran up so much debt getting ready to open his new restaurant. Boardman is a much better suited place for he and his snobby wife. The sad truth is that the staff is paying for the sins of the owner. The new management tried to make the place work, but it just was impossible with all the debt Russ ran up.
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bubonic
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09-10-08 11:38 AM
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thats a shame! mary m's is a big piece of the westside... i dont like it
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purple51
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09-10-08 10:40 AM
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Old ovens and different cooks make the difference. You can tell when a different person is cooking at a place you eat at often. If you can't tell, then those are the places where the food is prepackaged, which is more consistent. Even the water makes a difference. For expample, the original Warren Dunkin Donuts coffee & donuts were better than the newer one farther up Youngstown Road, but it's still better than any of the others. If a place has only one good cook they can't work all the time the place is open. At Mary M's we would check out who was cooking to decide what to order. Like I said, after Russ left & the food got cheaper but cost more & the napkins practically shredded when you picked them up, we just stopped going there. Too bad, because it was nice having a place to go on the westside. If you ever went to Salvatore's up the hill in Howland, it smelled like my grandmother's kitchen in there, then they remodeled and you can't smell anything. Takes away from the
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LeslieR
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09-10-08 10:28 AM
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Didn't they open something in Howland by that "Howland Buena Vista"? None of the in-town stuff that's opened in Howland is as good as the original - Sunrise, BV. You can definitely taste a difference between the Howland and Warren Sunrise pizzas. I always thought it was the old ovens downtown.
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purple51
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09-10-08 10:25 AM
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Up until Russ stopped cooking there the food was good. You sure could tell when he was back there making breakfast because it was much better than anyone else that cooked there. However, once he started spending all his time on South Avenue and that other person was in charge, they started to cheapen everything including the food. Even the fries were bad then. Sorry to see that there are no good restaurants or much of anything else on the west side anymore, but that restaurant was done when Russ quit caring. Dschweck, be kind to those waitresses. The older ones were good at their jobs, but the young ones that you guys like to look at don't know what they are doing. Stop being so pathetic. If you had to carry all those plates and wait on people with your attitude, you would look tired too. Some day you will return to this earth as a "fat bottomed waitress" and you will get what you deserve. Karma, baby!
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TomSmith
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09-10-08 9:11 AM
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Went there one time and the food wasn't anything to brag about. We never went back.
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GoBrowns
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09-10-08 8:40 AM
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I hate seeing long time businesses close. Food was alright but the reubens were overrated. Its sad when you think you have a famously good reuben and the truck stop not even ten minutes away has a better one.
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virutalia
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09-10-08 8:33 AM
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You may want to drop some compassion into your coffee today.
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virutalia
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09-10-08 8:31 AM
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The "prepckaged food joint" employed 55 staff, provided a local spot for socializing, and it served many reasonably-priced meals to folks who could not or would not cook. "Mom and pop" businesses that close up adversely impact the community.
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DramaFree
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09-10-08 8:16 AM
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Mary M's will be missed.
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virutalia
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09-10-08 7:57 AM
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Now the area's sole restaurant critic is also out of a job.
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Trancemage
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09-10-08 7:19 AM
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I am sad to see it go too, but I am also not suprised. I understand the need to stay profitable, but they raised their prices to much and their quality of food was not matched. We stopped going there awhile ago becuase of that. Again, it is upsetting but not suprising.
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OldManGrump2
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09-10-08 7:07 AM
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Just another sign of the times for Warren. The economy has taken a big turd and places like this will be closing all over Warren area. You can see closed store fronts all over Warren these days as you drive around. People can't afford to eat out like they use to do. I loved their food by the way. Mary M's will be missed.
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pahootaman
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09-10-08 7:01 AM
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That's sad, I always went there when I was in town. I had many Birthday breakfasts there... memories.
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OutsideTheBox
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09-10-08 6:14 AM
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That place was always full. He funneled his profits into his new place in Boardman. Although this town is pitiful and the administration running it is a joke, this time it's just a case of the person owning it not caring about keeping it open.
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brokenstack
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09-10-08 5:36 AM
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Sorry to see them close. Wow now what do I do Wednesday night? That was such a good place to eat. The sad fact is this will be a sign of the future. Sell something that is no good for you and already made for you. Well the mom and pop stores are headed out. The malls maybe next. I am sorry to say this but the way we are headed is the only stores left here in the area are Save-a-lot, Aides, maybe Giant Eagle, and of course the drive threw food places.
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jamesbresslerjr
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09-10-08 3:28 AM
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What a shame a piece of family history has to end. You will be missed.
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AmandaLynn
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09-10-08 3:22 AM
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WOW! I had no idea that they were going to close. That's too bad. It was a nice restaurant.
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