Today the residents of Arnold, Missouri learned of some extremely sad news via the local Leader newspaper: Bambinos, one of the greatest Italian eateries in the area—indeed, perhaps the best individually owned, non-chain restaurant of the Italian scene—had to close its doors for good. The closing is due to both the weak economy—an unemployment rate of 11% in our county—as well as a huge burst of chain growth in our area.

Bambinos was a wonderful place, family-owned and full of ambiance customer care. It was known for its delightful patio, upon which diners could enjoy the cool fall air or the warm spring sunlight while eating something delicious—like toasted ravioli or thin crust pizza. Sure, a waitress once spilled beer on me there, but in her defense our table was ordering quite a few bottles, and she was doing her best to manage the empty ones while bringing new bottles each time she visited our table!

The staff at Bambinos were warm and friendly, and why wouldn’t they be after they’d worked there for ten or fifteen years? In fact, some of them cried when they heard the doors where shutting for good, after the company had already made cutbacks in both staff and hours of operation. They, too, will miss the place.

I’m so sad that I won’t be able to take my husband and daughter to this classic location, which has been around since I was a preteen. My family even ate there as an informal wedding reception once. It was always on my to-do list to bring my family there to eat, and now, unfortunately, we will never get the chance. As cookie cutter chains continue to plow through our beloved town, rapidly changing it to a city environment, the local gems continue to dwindle.

Bambino staff, our hearts go with you during this difficult time.