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.
