Andiamo Dearborn to close; owner cites pandemic restrictions

Candice Williams
The Detroit News

Andiamo Dearborn restaurant will end 17 years in business Sunday, shuttering its doors for good after struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The closure, first reported by Crain’s Detroit Business, was confirmed in a statement by owner Joe Vicari of Joe Vicari Restaurant Group. Neither the new owner of the Andiamo Dearborn property nor the sales price were disclosed Thursday.

Joe Vicari

"We are sad to announce that after 17 years, Andiamo Dearborn has been sold and will be closing on Sunday," Vicari wrote. "This restaurant casualty is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic-related closures, capacity limits and 'pauses' that have limited our ability to remain profitable."

The restaurant was closed for 24 weeks last year for indoor dining, Vicari said, and limited to carryout service. The rest of the year, seating capacity was restricted to 25%.

"This past year, this restaurant alone lost over $3 million and was no longer viable," Vicari wrote. 

There are about 60 employees who will have the opportunity to take a job at one of the more than 20 other restaurants within the group. Other Vicari restaurants include Andiamo Italia in Warren, Bloomfield Hills, Livonia, Detroit Riverfront and Fenton, Detroit Joe Muer Seafood in Detroit and Bloomfield Hills, and Country Inn Restaurants in Clinton Township, New Baltimore and Macomb Township. 

In December, the Andiamo location in Warren was one of eight businesses that had liquor licenses suspended by the state for violating the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' emergency order banning indoor dining. 

Also that month, in a leaked letter Vicari called for restaurant owners to “band together and fight back” as a group if state officials extended the pause on indoor dining. A virtual meeting hosted by Vicari later called for restaurant owners not to defy the law. 

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CWilliams_DN