After barely a year in business, Marcello’s Wine Bar and Café in the Southdowns Shopping Center is closing.
Owner Gene Todaro, who brought his popular restaurant back to Baton Rouge in 2018, six years after closing it the first time, tells Daily Report he is shutting down again because he underestimated the demands of running three restaurants in three cities.
Marcello’s also has locations in New Orleans and Lafayette.
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“Our Lafayette location is very busy and my father is wanting to slow down,” Todaro tells Daily Report. “I’ve been running over there twice a week and need to go more often. I can’t properly develop the Baton Rouge location with my eye on Lafayette and New Orleans.”
Though Todaro couldn’t discuss the plans yet, a new restaurant concept will be taking over the Marcello’s location, which was renovated heavily before Todaro moved in last year. Landlord Donnie Jarreau says the new restaurant group will either assume Marcello’s lease or sublease the location from him.
Read on for the full story from Daily Report.