Photography courtesy of Brigitte Mineo.
mineo's
The Westport Plaza's Italian favorite has sat empty the past couple of months due to the pandemic.
Photography courtesy of Brigitte Mineo.
Mineo's family
Brigitte, Paul, and Giovanni Mineo.
After months of holding out hope that the pandemic would pass, Brigitte Mineo made the tough decision to permanently close the doors at Paul Mineo’s in Westport Plaza.
The longtime Italian restaurant started the year strong, says Mineo, but the dining establishment began to see more and more cancellations during the pandemic—320 over the course of two months. In the past, the majority of business at Paul Mineo’s came from large group gatherings; with the pandemic prohibiting such events, the restaurant suffered.
Photography courtesy of Brigitte Mineo.
Mineo's crew
Brigitte Mineo poses with her general manager and brother, Michael Clark, and advertising manager and sister, Elizabeth Wolf. "I could not have operated a restaurant for 13 years without them -- thank God I had great support," Mineo says.
“You’d never think it was going to be as bad as it is right now,” Mineo says. “I felt that in a couple of weeks things would be back to normal. As weeks progressed, things got a little better and then got worse again. You start realizing this is the new normal. It takes a while to grasp, because we’ve never gone through something like this.”
With its sprawling patio and inviting dining room, Paul Mineo’s was the fifth restaurant for Brigitte’s late husband, Paul “Pauli” Mineo. The couple ran the restaurant together for many years. The operation was a family affair. Brigitte’s brother was general manager, and her sister was in charge of marketing.
“My son, Giovanni Mineo, was in kindergarten when we opened the restaurant, and he just graduated from high school,” Mineo says. “I have to say, he loved the food. I brought it home to him every night, and he was blessed that he had that wonderful food to eat every night. Now he’s like, ‘How are you going to offer me this great food?’ and I said, ‘Well, you’re going to have to learn to grill now I guess.’ It affects everybody in your family when something like this happens.”
Photography courtesy of Brigitte Mineo.
Mineo's son and dog
Nobody expected the pandemic, but life goes on. Giovanni Mineo and Jett, the dog, pose for a quick picture before heading off to college.
For Mineo, the staff was also like family. “They all work so hard,” Mineo says. “If there was a problem or situation where one of our employees needed help, our whole staff would help that person.”
Likewise, Mineo has fond memories of the trattoria's loyal patrons. “I want them to remember the great memories they had at the restaurant,” Mineo says. “People would come in every Wednesday for happy hour, and they celebrated every birthday at the restaurant. There are other people who would come in every year for their anniversary or birthday. I wanted everybody who would come into my restaurant to feel special and go, ‘Wow, I want to come back!’”
