After what seems like an endless stream of bad news regarding St. Louis’ restaurant institutions, there appears a bright light: Nick & Elena’s Pizzeria, the beloved Breckenridge Hills pizza joint has found new owners. Nick & Elena’s announced the news in a Facebook post on November 14, noting that the restaurant will carry on its tradition of delicious St. Louis-style pizzas under the stewardship of Dan and Mandy Criscione.
“The search is over,” Nick & Elena’s Facebook post reads. “When you have something so special you must take extreme care of it. When you have built an empire you will do everything it takes to protect it and keep it safe. We have prayed and prayed for a wonderful transition for Elena and her retirement. After a long search we found Dan and Mandy and their beautiful growing family.”
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Fans of the 39 year-old North County mainstay have been waiting for the past two years, after the restaurant announced that it was going up for sale, so matriarch Elena Serra could retire. The restaurant vowed to do everything in its power to find a suitable owner rather than simply close up shop, engaging a commercial reality company to handle the sale while putting the word out through its own network that it was looking for a buyer.
The goal had always been to find someone who would be committed to preserving the Nick & Elena’s that its loyal patrons have come to know and love during its nearly four decades in business. According to the announcement, the Crisciones plan to do just that.
“[The Crisciones] have vowed to take care of our beautiful business just the way we have for 39 years,” the post reads. “They will be happily and carefully taking over Nick and Elena’s Pizzeria in the upcoming months. They will be keeping everything but the paint job the same! From the employees to the recipes, from the distributors to the ‘family table’, you, as the consumer, should feel as safe as we do with this transition.”
The announcement notes that Serra will be involved in the transition for several months, which they hope will ease any concerns from customers. Even after that period, however, expect Serra to remain a fixture at the restaurant.
“You can always invite [Serra] back in the doors for a pizza dinner with you after that!” the post reads. “We hope you can continue to support us and them over the years and enjoy our family recipes forever.”
SLM has reached out to Dan Criscione and will update this story as more information becomes available.
