ATHOL — Walk into Athol House of Pizza and it will look the same as it did last week.
Same booths, same tables, same staff. But the owners have changed.
Friends and business partners Shakir “Manny” Mannan and Amjad Amin purchased the restaurant on May 16, but have no plans to make radical alterations.
“We didn’t touch anything — just switching the ownership, and that’s it,” Mannan said while sitting in one of the eatery’s booths recently.
He said he and Amin plan to display the menu on digital screens soon. The restaurant serves an array of food, from pizza and calzones to seafood and grinders. Mannan said it opened 50 years ago.
Lifelong resident and former Selectman Anthony Brighenti said he remembers when the pizza house first opened. He was surprised to hear of the change of ownership, considering he ordered a pizza delivery a few nights ago and no one mentioned it.
The restaurant was started by George J. Spanakis, and was operated by his family after he died in 2009.
Over the decades, the restaurant was truly part of the community. For example, the family made a $5,000 donation in Spanakis’s name to the new Athol Public Library and has contributed to other local causes, including donating pizzas to firefighters and residents during devastating fires.
Noting that the restaurant was probably the first pizza house on Main Street, Brighenti said he hopes the new owners “follow in their footsteps.”
The Selectboard voted last week to transfer the restaurant’s license to the new owners. Town Manager Shaun A. Suhoski said the license is required for a food service establishment capable of cooking, preparing and serving food for immediate consumption therein. Like Brighenti, Suhoski said the Athol House of Pizza is a treasured member of the community.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye to longtime family institutions,” he said, “but, the town is pleased that the iconic restaurant will remain in operation under new ownership.”
Mannan and Amin used to owned a similar establishment in Danvers and commute every day from the Boston area.
“The community is very good over here,” Mannan said, adding that the customer base is loyal. “They are welcoming.”
The restaurant includes a bakery and Mannan said it will remain, at least for the time being. He said the bakery is not a huge source of revenue and it is difficult to compete with corporations like Dunkin’ Donuts, Walmart and Market Basket, which all have nearby locations.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 258.
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli