BRADENTON, Fla. — It has been a staple in Manatee County feeding families and those visiting across the area for nearly five decades.
But, on the evening of Saturday, April 16, the popular Bradenton restaurant, Demetrios' Pizza House is closing its doors in a special way.
Demetrios' will serve up its last slice of pizza in an auction with the money going to charity.
In its last week of operation, the owners have been sharing the memories they'll leave behind.
"We met so many beautiful people. They come here for birthdays, holidays, and rehearsal dinners, we have been through so much together through these past years. That's why we call it Pizza House because here everybody has a home. They come, they meet their friends, they meet their families, it's very heartwarming," said Paula Ludera, co-owner of Demetrios' Pizza House.
When a young Ludera teamed up with her sister, Helen, and her husband, Demetrios, to move to Bradenton to set up the family business things were very different.
"46 years in one spot, Bradenton was a very small city back then. Back then on Cortez Road between two to four, you could sleep on there because cars didn't go by," Ludera said.
As Bradenton has grown over the years, so has the restaurant. More family members joined in and set up franchises and created their own American Dream. Some of those family members eventually sold off their franchise and retired to their ancestral homeland of Greece, leaving the first establishment on Cortez Rd. as the last remaining pizza house.
But with time comes age and weariness sets in after long years of hard work. A grandmother now, Paula, along with the rest of the co-owners of Demetrios are ready to rest and refresh in their golden years of retirement.
"It's too much work now, I can't do it anymore, I can't do it anymore," Ludera said.
"Words just can't describe the adventure we've been on in the last 46 years," Gus Sokos, co-owner of Demetrios Pizza House, said.
Sokos' dad, Demetrios, who passed away in 2014 founded the restaurant. He started working there when he was 11 bussing tables. His now 83-year-old mom, Helen, the matriarch of the family, has maintained a foundational and familiar presence at the restaurant.
"The people that we have met over the years and the relationships that we've built with those people are second to none," Sokos said.
Many of those loyal customers, now part of Demetrios' legacy in Bradenton, have been showing up to give the family their flowers as they wind down a business that has had a significant impact on their families and community as a whole.
"I've been coming here faithfully for 30 years every Tuesday to meet up with Tony over here. We come to lunch here and it has been a fixture in our life for half of my life," Manatee County Tax Collector Ken Burton Jr. said.
"When my family comes to town this is one place they want to come to so we're going to miss them greatly," said Cheryl Seal, one of the loyal guests who come to the restaurant for the spaghetti.
Demetrios' Pizza House will auction off their last pizza slice Saturday evening with the proceeds going to charity. The last pizza will be a classic but also customized to the bidder's choice. The auction winner would also get to choose the charity the money will go to.
"I cannot thank the community enough for their support for 46 years. It's pretty amazing, a great run, thank you," said a tearful Sokos.