Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
Local group saves Luca Lagotto and Little Donkey in Homewood
Reading time: 2 minutes
Two local chefs, a landlord and other stakeholders have joined forces to keep two Homewood Pihakis restaurants from closing.
Luca Lagotto chef Rita Bernhardt, Little Donkey executive chef Joshua Gentry and developer Mike Mouron have formed an ownership group that will keep Luca Lagotto (1722 28th Ave. S) and Little Donkey (2701 18th St. Ste. 200) open in Homewood, according to the Birmingham Business Journal.
Luca Lagotto’s name has been changed to Salice, the Italian word for “willow.”
A makeshift sign with the new name was tacked onto the building this morning.
More than a dozen Pihakis restaurants closed
Unfortunately, the nearby Rodney Scott BBQ and Hero Diner restaurants remain temporarily closed in Homewood because of the Pihakis Restaurant Group’s financial woes.
Since the middle of April, more than a dozen of the company’s eateries have shuttered, including all of their Hero Diner locations.
As of Friday morning, in addition to the two Homewood restaurants, only Magnolia Point and Joyland on Birmingham’s Southside continue to operate in The Magic City at this point.
This is a developing story. Stayed tuned to Bham Now for updates.
