Photo: Courtesy of Lombardo's Hospitality Group
NORWOOD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After decades of weddings and bar mitzvahs, the event hall Lombardo’s is closing its doors at the end of the month. But the fourth generation of the family behind the event space is continuing the Lombardo legacy with a new venture as a catering company.
David Lombardo is the CEO of the newly formed Lombardo’s Hospitality Group, which purchased the company Off the Vine Catering recently. This was one of the steps the family is taking as they transition away from their history as an event space.
In a Facebook post on Jan. 15, Lombardo’s said, “Off the Vine Catering has embodied the same mission as we do over their last 19 years: creative culinary experiences with exceptional customer service. We are so honored to continue the legacy they have built.”
Speaking at Off the Vine in Norwood, Mass., David reminisced on his personal history with Lombardo’s event hall. “I had my bar mitzvah there, I had my wedding there. So there’s a bittersweet ending to a beautiful, iconic place.”
The closure of the event hall in Randolph, Mass., was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
David explained that the pandemic “decimated the events industry, it decimated the hospitality industry.”
But despite the decline of this era of Lombardo history, the family began to look elsewhere to continue the legacy, like catering. “And during that time we saw an opportunity to reinvent ourselves,” said David.
What unites the two sides of the Lombardo legacy is family, David said. “One thing that our family stresses more than anything is you’ve got to take care of each other and you’ve got to take care of family first. It comes before business, always.”
WBZ's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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