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ANN ARBOR, MI — A well-known Italian restaurant in Ann Arbor is changing ownership.
Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar, 3411 Washtenaw Ave., near Arborland Mall, has been serving authentic Italian food since 1984 when owners Bridget and Mike Roddy opened the restaurant in the former Bimbo’s on The Hill.
However, Richard Buhr, well known in the Ann Arbor restaurant industry since 1979, and his family are taking over ownership of the eatery.
Bridget said in a press release The Buhr family is planning to maintain Paesano’s business model and also retain all of the restaurant’s current employees, Bridget Roddy said.
“We are grateful to be able to turn our operation over to another long-time Ann Arbor family,” she said in a statement. “The Buhrs have a long-standing reputation in the community and it was very important to us to select a buyer that would maintain the integrity of our restaurant and continue close community ties.”
This change in ownership is “bittersweet” for the couple, Bridget Roddy said, adding that the longtime owners are planning to spend more time with their children and grandchildren now that they can step away from the business.
“Forty years in the restaurant takes a toll and we are going to take some time to visit friends and family who are far and wide,” Bridget Roddy said. “We have made so many friends and have been blessed to have some of our most loyal, long-time employees who are still with us and who will be remaining with the Buhrs.”
Paesano has endured through the everchanging economy and the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced a record-breaking year in 2022 and is on track to break its record again in 2023, the Roddys said.
“We have been very blessed to have a loyal following of what we call ‘good friends,’” Mike Roddy said in a statement. “They are our frequent followers who see the value of a supporting local, neighborhood business. In turn, we have made it a point to provide the best food, service and events possible.”
Beyond offering Italian cuisine, the restaurant has offered Italian language classes, Italian vintner wine dinners, Italian-themed outdoor summer movies and its annual guided trip to Italy each fall.
“We’ve given our customers as much of a ‘true Italian’ experience as we can over the years,” Mike Roddy said.
Bridget Roddy said the past 40 years have been a “wonderful ride for the Roddy family,” and she is looking forward to the future.
“We aren’t saying goodbye. We’re saying see you later,” she said.
Find Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar online.
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